Restart
by PatientNumber1889053
Summary: After The End Class 3-A copes with the several changes that had started ever since Negi and the others returned from Wales, including the absence of student number 15. With every ending is a new beginning, and that beginning is the start of High School.
1. Graduation

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima

**Note:** It would be advisable if you have read 'The End' which is a backstory to this one. Also, feedback is much appreciated.

* * *

**Restart**

**Chapter 1: **Graduation

"What?" Eyes widened.

"We're very sorry." Misora shook her head. "But I'm afraid Sakurazaki-san will not be with us anymore…"

"W-Why…?"

"Sakurazaki-san had some business in Wales…and…well…" Natsumi scratched her cheek. "It…happened."

"What we're trying to say is…" Negi spoke up, knowing that if he didn't the situation would get worse. "Setsuna-san is gone and she will not be coming back."

"So she's…dead?" Fuuka asked, putting two and two together, which caused another uproar from the class.

"What?!"

"Sakurazaki-san?! Dead?!"

"I thought she was the strongest one here?"

While the chaos among her classmates went on, Asuna approached the ten year old teacher. "Oi, Negi. I know we have to come up with an excuse on why Setsuna-san isn't here, but isn't killing her off a little too much?"

"I understand, Asuna-san. But…" Negi scratched his cheek as he pointed to his students, who somehow managed to quiet down and almost look like their mourning. "It looks like we can't change their minds now…"

Asuna looked to where Negi was pointing and saw Ayaka in front of her other classmates. She slapped her forehead as Ayaka coughed and said. "Now, everyone, I know many of us don't know Sakurazaki-san very well, but as her classmates, we should at least say a few words about Sakurazaki-san on her funeral. Right, Negi-sensei?"

All eyes turned to the teacher as he tried to think of another excuse.

"U-Um…A f-funeral was already held in Wales for Sa-Sakurazaki-san…" Nodoka piped in as Negi sighed.

"Well then…" Ayaka tapped her chin. "How about we say something about Sakurazaki-san right now? Why don't we start with Negi-sensei, then?" The blonde said as she smiled and clapped her hands together, trying to ignore Asuna's shouts of "Shotacon!!"

"Setsuna-san was…a great student." Negi began, causing everyone to quiet down, even the starting brawl between the class representative and Asuna. "She had average grades and usually didn't interact much with her classmates…but those who knew her knew her well, and they always benefit from her actions. Setsuna-san held all of her friends close to her, and if her friends were ever in trouble, she would do her best to bail them out, even at the cost of her own life. All I can say is, Setsuna-san was not just my student, but also my friend, and a very valuable one at that."

Several of the girls clapped after Negi's words, a few of them even shedding a tear or two. After that, Ayaka stood up once more. "Thank you for your wonderful words Negi-sensei, I'm sure Sakurazaki-san would've been rejoicing on the other side had she heard you."

Negi sweat-dropped. _I certainly hope not…she might be doing important training or something…_

"Anyways…who would like to go next?" The class representative said, causing the rest of 3-A to look around the room for anyone who they knew was close to Setsuna.

"Excuse me. I have to go to the bathroom." One of the girls said as she stood up, though it was rather obvious that she wasn't going to the bathroom, since she brought her bag with her. She then exited quickly, without another word.

"Konoka!" Asuna called out, and she tried to give chase, but Chisame had grabbed her arm, effectively stopping her.

"Don't."

The other girl just sighed as she looked at the door where her friend had passed a moment ago. "She's taking it really hard…"

Evangeline, who knew all about what happened in the Magical World, then piped in, knowing just how to make this little discussion more interesting. "Pft. Let her wallow in her sadness. She did lose a loved one after all."

Well…_that_ got the class active.

"So Konoe-san and Sakurazaki-san DO have that kind of relationship?! I thought it was just a rumor!"

"Kyaa~!! I knew it!!"

"They looked so good together!"

"But poor Konoe-san! To be widowed at such a young age--"

"All right, ALL RIGHT!! Stop talking about gossip! We're mourning for Sakurazaki-san! So if you don't have anything to say about my friend other than some rumor you heard in an overly-vandalized bathroom stall, then shut up and listen to those who actually know her!" Chisame snapped, surprising the rest of the class, which caused them to shut up.

Chisame looked at Asuna, who nodded and took a deep breath. "I guess I'll go next."

==noitaudarG==

Time stops for no one. And so, no matter how saddened the Ala Alba and/or Class 3-A were about the loss of their classmate, they spent their time moving on and living with their lives. That time turned into days, then into weeks, into a month. And, eventually, the month turned into seven months: into the day Class 3-A never noticed until it was already here.

That day the classroom was as noisy as usual. It was late in the afternoon, and the tables have been rearranged with a few at the bottom together with the teacher's desk. Various decorations had been set up all over the room, but only the banner above the chalkboard told of the occasion that will be held: HAPPY GRADUATION 3-A!!

There was also a small note on the bottom, in small, but still readable: GOODBYE NEGI-KUN!

Sure enough, a hyperactive member of the class excitedly burst into the room, followed by her classmates, all yelling the same word: "PARTY!!!!!!"

"Woot!!! No more formalities!! Let's celebrate!!!" Yuuna, ever the party animal, exclaimed as Ako, Akira and Makie followed her. Makie looked like she had the same idea, and the four headed towards the mini-sounds system Satomi had built, just like they had talked about as they were planning the party last week.

It was also decided that all the girls involved in sports were to act as the DJ's in the party, each girl taking a certain amount of time. Yuuna, who was up first, grabbed the headphones equipped with a microphone as she turned the system on. "Yo, 3-A! This is high-and-mighty Yuuna Akashi and I will be your DJ for the next two hours!! Now…ARE YOU READY TO PARTY THE 3-A WAY?!"

"YEAH!!" Excited cheers erupted from the classroom so loud that it was able to get to the mike, causing more noise.

"Good!! For now, I'll play a fast songs we can get some stress off of us!" Yuuna then winked to the girls. "But you can also request some songs, even slow ones, hehe~"

Music and chatting then filled the classroom seconds later, with some of the students either dancing to the beat of the song Yuuna was playing, or just dancing for the heck of it.

The door then opened, revealing Ku Fei, Satsuki, Hakase and Chachamaru, followed by a few green-haired robots. All of them were carrying boxes, trays and plates. "We've brought the food-aru!"

"And here's the food, courtesy of the Chao Bao Zi!!" Yuuna announced, causing a few of them to clap and cheer as they headed for the table, lining up to eat. Yuuna, upon noticing this, immediately stood up, completely forgetting that she still had the headset on. "Hey! Leave some for me!!"

After a few minutes of eating, Yuuna headed back to her post, resuming her role as DJ. After three songs, Negi approached the brown-haired basketball player. Yuuna nodded, turning her mike on. "Everyone, Negi-kun's got something to say. Take it away teach!" she said, throwing a mike to the auburn-haired boy, who caught it with ease, as she turned the music down.

"Well…as everyone knows, I will be leaving once you graduate." Negi began, initiating a few 'aww's from his students. "I had a lot of fun during the time I have been your teacher. And so, I decided to give graduation gifts to everyone as a 'thank you' for allowing yourselves to be taught by me, and for teaching me a few things as well. Chachamaru-san, please bring the first gift."

The green-haired robot nodded, placing a box that was taller then Negi beside the said boy. Yuuna then commented. "Who-hoa! That looks like a pretty special gift Negi-kun!"

"It is Yuuna-san! This gift is for Gil number One: Aisaka Sayo!" Negi grinned while the rest of the class looked at each other with confused faces.

"Wait, isn't Sayo the ghost of 3-A?"

"Come to think of it, her name was mentioned a while ago during graduation…"

"Yeah but didn't Negi-kun take her diploma?"

Several more mumbles filled the air, but Kazumi, who knew what the gift was, paid it no heed as she winked at the ghost beside her. "Go ahead, Sayo-chan! Hakase, Negi-kun and I worked real hard on that gift."

The white-haired girl nodded as she hesitantly went into the box. Then, a scream was heard and the box toppled backwards, which caused several of the girls to scream in response. The class stayed alert for a few more seconds, and then saw the box open much like how a coffin would.

"…Eh?" Sayo sat up, flexing her now solid fingers. She touched her face, as well as the new uniform on her new body. She then brought her hair to her face: dark gray, just as it was when she was alive.

Kazumi went to the girl still in the box. She smiled as she held out a hand. "Need help in getting up, Sayo-chan?"

Sayo hesitated for a moment, but accepted the hand and was pulled up. She smiled as she tears formed around her eyes, jumping the red-haired girl and hugging her tightly. "Asakura-san!!!!"

"H-hey…not too tight Sayo-chan…" Kazumi said as she did her best to hug back while being crushed by Sayo's arms. "You've got a robotic body after all…"

"Ah! Sorry!" The ghost said as she let go of the red-haired girl. She then approached Negi and smiled. "Thank you, Negi-sensei!"

"You're welcome." The boy said as he handed Sayo her diploma. "But you should really thank Hakase-san. She was the one who designed your body."

Sayo turned to Satomi and thanked her as well. Satomi scratched her cheek. "Well, you're welcome. But it was really all Asakura-san's idea…Your design was taken from Chachamaru's, but I had a problem to how the power source was to accommodate you."

Having understood only the part about Kazumi and Chachamaru, she smiled at Hakase and thanked her again. Satomi only smiled. "I said it was no problem Aisaka-san. So long as you see me once or twice a month for maintenance." _I guess I shouldn't tell her about the part where the power source is a voodoo doll…_

"Now that that's done, on to the next gift!"

They then proceeded to the rest of the gifts, each girl getting a unique present from Negi. The potential mages in the class (such as Yuuna) all got wands, for practice. Kazumi got a camera that was equipped with the latest enchantments from the Magic World. Yue, being more powerful, got a set of Magic books as well as a few weapons. Girls with artifacts got equipment that can help them in improving their _Ministra_ capabilities. The most unique so far was Evangeline's and Chachamaru's gifts, which contained their graduation diplomas as well as a letter of approval from the Dean: They were allowed to graduate from Middle School and, little by little, the seal on Evangeline will allow her to look older (to exhibit growth) and more powerful. By the time they graduate, they will be employed as teachers in Mahora.

The most unique, that is, before Konoka's gift: A long box that, when opened, revealed Yuunagi.

Everyone fell silent as Konoka stared at the sword, taking it out of its container.

"Yuunagi was…found among Setsuna-san's possessions. Her…erm…will stated that it should go to you, Konoka-san." Negi spoke, which should mean 'Setsuna-san told me to give this to you before we left.'

The brown-haired girl only nodded as she went back to her seat, still staring at the sword.

Once the giving of gifts was done, the party resumed its way of being noisy, with music blasting through the speakers and chatting all over the room.

And, of course, a 3-A party wouldn't be a 3-A party if someone didn't spike the drinks with something alcoholic.

==noitaudarG==

Hours later, on one corner of the classroom, Akira, Ako, Yuuna and Makie were sitting together, with Yuuna's three partners examining her from head to toe.

"It can't be helped." Akira concluded. "She's drunk."

"EEEeehhh? Stop being so silly Aki!!" Yuuna said as she grinned in a weird manner. "I'm perfectly healthy, see!!!" She then tried to stand up but Ako pushed her back to her chair.

"You only call me Aki when you're drunk."

"Ohh…why did you have to bring that 'Essence of Dragon' with you…" Ako said, looking at the now empty bottles, which Yuuna had finished all by herself. _Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but the drinks here were spiked too!_

At that moment, Fuuka, Fumika and Kaede passed by the group, with the younger twin saying. "It's such a shame that Sakurazaki-san's not here with us…it really feels weird to know that your classmate is dead."

Unfortunately, the drunk girl heard the conversation, and decided to butt in. "Huh? Dead? Sakurazaki-san's not dead! She's in bird country--"

Akira stepped on Yuuna's foot, causing a drunken yelp from the other girl. That caused the three to look at the said girl, along with the other girls that were near the area. Ako then rubbed the back of her head as her classmates wondered on what Yuuna just said. "Ahaha!! Yuuna-san means heaven! You know, the one with the angels and--"

"What angels…?! Sakurazaki-san told us herself that she was half demo--"

"Yuuna! Shh!!" Makie covered Yuuna's mouth and turned her around as the pink-haired girl put her finger on her own lips. "Our classmates can't know about that, ok?"

The brown-haired girl blinked, trying to process the information in front of her. Makie was less than 6 inches from her face, touching her lips.

"Haha!! Sakurazaki-san sure was modest up until the end." Ako said, trying to divert the attention from Yuuna's unfinished statement.

_I have an idea…_ Natsumi, who saw the whole thing, then elbowed Misora, the DJ at that time, who was sleeping on a chair near the sounds system.

"OWWW!! What did I do this time Sister Shakti??" Misora jolted awake with the mike still on, getting looks from her classmates. The spiky-haired girl then looked at Natsumi, who gestured something that resembled a polite _'You idiot, help us get out of this mess!'_

Misora nodded. _Let's see….think Misora think…ah! _Misora then put her hands together, looking as decent as she could. She smiled. "Why don't we pray for Sakurazaki-san's soul?"

The others were about to agree when a certain brown-haired girl then grinned and suddenly blurted out: "Ahhh, I get it! You want me to make one of those pacty things!! Err…pacto…paci…ahh! Pactio!!! Just wait a second, I'll call Chamo." Yuuna turned around weirdly and shouted at the top of her lungs. "CHAMO-KUUUU--"

Once again, Akira stepped on Yuuna's foot, causing another drunken yelp.

"Chamo?" Fuuka tilted her head. "Isn't that the name of Negi-kun's pet?"

"Errrr…Yuuna-san means…" Ako said, looking for a word that sounded like 'pactio' "…p-panties!! Y-You know how Negi-sensei's pet likes to sleep in those sort of stuff!!"

"Ehhh…??!! But I already saw Makie's panties when she was changing this morning!!!" Yuuna slurred as the pink-haired girl blushed. "They were--"

The brown-haired girl was cut off once more, this time by Makie, who took Yuuna's head in her hands and pressed her lips against Yuuna's. _This is the only way to shut her up…or at least cause a change of topic!!!_

Amidst the squeals and cheers erupting from the class as the two girls kissed, Asuna then noticed that one girl wasn't taking part in the chaos caused by the drunken basketball player. The orange-haired girl then headed towards the other side of the room, where Konoka was staring out the window.

"Hey…you all right?" The orange-haired girl quietly asked.

"Yeah." Konoka said plainly, one hand supporting her chin as she looked out the window, the other clutching Setsuna's sword.

"Negi…said that he's going to deliver Setsuna-san's diploma once he gets back to Wales…so if you want to send Setsuna-san something, you can give it to him tomorrow morning before he leaves." Asuna scratched the back of her head, trying to think of how to brighten the other girl up. She then had an idea. _Maybe it's time to give her this…_

The orange-haired girl then fished something out of her pocket: the letter Setsuna gave her before they headed back to Wales. She then gave it to the brown-haired girl. "This is a letter from Setsuna-san. I…um…read it on the day she gave it to me but she said that I can only give this to you on Graduation Day."

Konoka's eyes widened at the mention of Setsuna's name, and she eagerly opened the letter.

It was a plain letter, not like the ones Negi receives from her older sister. It was by Setsuna's hand, and, as Konoka put her nose against the paper, it even smelled like the raven-haired girl. She then proceeded to read, taking in every word that was written.

_Ojousama,_

_By the time you are reading this, you have probably graduated from Middle School. I am sorry that I'm not here by your side right now, for I have to settle the affair with my family. (Hopefully, Asuna-san and the others have filled you in.)_

_Ojousama, I'm sorry that I told everyone first and did not say goodbye to you. That was because if I told you while we were in the Magical World, there would be a chance that you will follow me, and nobody would want that. The world I'm going home to is a dangerous place, and I don't want you to get hurt._

_Kono-chan, please don't take this the wrong way. The last thing I would want to do is to get away from you, and even now I am thinking of how you are doing. I am doing this so that I can get stronger, so that I would be more able to protect you. It is my purpose to always make you smile, and to make sure that no tears will ever escape your eyes, and that is all I'll be able to think about during the days we are apart._

_Once I become stronger, I'll come back to you Kono-chan. I'll come back to you and protect you. On the day of my return, give me Yuunagi. Until then, I will leave her in your hands. But rest assured, I WILL come back. No matter what it takes, no matter how long it takes…I'll come back. That's a promise._

_Setsuna_

Asuna watched as Konoka read the letter, and she was a little happy when she saw Konoka smiling toward the end. She was then alarmed when she saw a tear sliding down the brown-haired girl's face. "Konoka…"

"I'm glad, Asuna…" Konoka smiled, tears still trailing down her face. "Secchan's going to come back…"

There was then a glow from the letter, and Konoka found that there was another segment of the letter, at the bottom of the paper.

_P.S. Could you please tell the rest of the class to go out of the building and look up at the sky? I have a gift for all of you._

"Hey Asuna…" Konoka said, her eyes wide. "Have you ever read this part?"

"Hm?" Asuna read the segment, and her eye's widened. She then cast a look at Konoka, and both of them nodded before they proceeded to herd their classmates out of the building.

==noitaudarG==

"Hey…what's going on?" Misa said as the rest of the class went out into the front of the building.

Asuna then caught something in her eye. She then pointed, which caused most of the Ala Alba to look. "It's the demons from Kyoto!!"

"Yo." The bird demon saluted as it winked. "We were just doing a favor for Setsuna-sama. Congrats, little misses!"

They then disappeared, leaving the rest of the class more disoriented than before.

"Just look up everyone!!!!" Konoka said energetically, managing to get everyone's attention. The rest of the class, too stunned at how the girl got from gloomy to energetic, just followed her command, and marveled at the sight above them.

Up in the sky, in white lights too bright to be stars, was a:

_CONGRATULATIONS 3-A!! _

_--Setsuna Sakurazaki_

Everyone stared at the raven-haired girl's message in awe for a full ten minutes, before the light magically turned into something else and then realized that the said girl was 'dead'.

"What? Black Feathers?" Madoka asked as one feather landed on her head. She then looked around as she saw other black feathers falling to the ground like rain.

"AHHH!!! It's a ghost! It's a ghost!!!"

"Huh?! Sakurazaki-san!? Where?!"

"Aisaka-san! You're a ghost! Can you see her??"

"Eh--"

"Hey!"

"Wow…That's Setsuna-san for you." Asuna chuckled as she shook her head, ignoring the various screaming girls and the teacher trying to calm everyone down. Her eye then caught sight of Konoka, who was still looking up. She then approached the said girl. "Konoka, it's over--"

"Shh…" The brown-haired girl said as she waited for a feather to fall into her hands. It was pure white, and larger than the others.

_Wait…could it be that that feather's actually from one of Setsuna-san's wings?! _Asuna thought as her eyes widened.

On it was written:

_Congratulations, Kono-chan. See you soon._

Konoka smiled and gently kissed the feather. "I'll wait for you, Secchan."

_I'll be right here, waiting for you._

_

* * *

  
_


	2. One Year Later

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima

* * *

**Restart**

**Chapter 2: **One Year Later

"Hey, Nodoka, how do I look?"

The purple-haired girl eyed Haruna from head to toe. She was wearing the same outfit she had worn during the Kyoto field trip they had when they were in Middle School. The only difference was that Haruna had a pair of cat ears on, the 'antenna' on the top of her head gelled down effectively.

"You look very weird, Paru." Nodoka smiled. "Though no one would suspect that it's the 'great Haruna Saotome' from the Ala Alba."

"Geez…" Haruna scratched her head. "To think that we have to disguise ourselves every time we have to go to the Magic World so that we won't get chased by mobs…"

"Fan Clubs, Paru." The purple-haired girl corrected, as she herself dressed up: a tight white blouse and black slacks with a necktie of the same color.

Haruna pouted. "Hey…why do I have to dress up like this while you wear your semi-formal clothes?!"

"Because…" Nodoka mumbled a few foreign words, causing light to emanate around her body, and in a flash, her hair and eye color changed, turning into a pleasant brown hue. "…I'm the only one who can cast an illusion spell without it wearing off after a few minutes."

"But what about Yuecchi?"

Nodoka giggled as she put on a pair of glasses. "I said minutes, Paru. Not days!"

Just then, a knock was heard from the door and Nodoka let in Asuna. "Hey, you guys ready?"

"Yep." Haruna said as she adjusted her eye-patch.

"….PFT!!!!!" Asuna started to laugh at the third girl, seconds after staring at the crazy clothes the said girl was wearing. "Y-You look like a dummy!!"

Haruna rolled her eyes as she smiled wryly. "Well, at least I just look like one. You, on the other hand…"

The orange-haired girl's laughs ceased immediately. She smirked at the other girl. "You want to go on a sparring match again, Saotome?"

"My sketches can take you on any time, _Princess._" Haruna replied with a smirk of her own, summoning her artifact in a flash.

Before the argument can get any worse, Nodoka placed a hand on one of the girls' shoulders, stepping in between the two. _The last time I've seen this two fight, Yue had to stop them with a high-level spell…hmmm….Yue…_

Nodoka's eyes widened as she looked at the clock. "We're late!!"

"Huh?" Both girls chorused as they tore their eyes from their (almost) opponent and also gazed at the clock. With both girls still processing the information they got from the clock, Nodoka grabbed Asuna and Haruna, running to the door while unconsciously dragging both girls.

"Hey, is it just me, or is Nodoka a little stronger than I remember?" Asuna mumble as she was being dragged. They had made it to the hallway of the inn they were staying in, and had just zoomed past Kazumi and Sayo, who were also ready to leave.

"Yuecchi's been teaching her Magic all the time." Haruna replied, waving to an utterly confused Chisame. "I usually watch them doing practice duels when I'm done training."

"Ah." Asuna nodded. She then realized something. "So it isn't Negi anymore, huh?"

Haruna chuckled. "Oh, that was ages ago! She was practically giving up on him way before he announced that you were going to be his permanent partner!"

In a matter of minutes, the girls arrived at the portal to the Magic World. Crowds of people, mostly from other countries, have gathered there. Nodoka and the others squeezed through the front, where Kaede had been waiting.

"Ah. Nodoka-dono, Asuna-dono and Haruna-dono." The ninja smiled. "I see you brought the others too-de gozaru."

"I'm sorry we took longer than usual." Nodoka replied as Asuna looked behind them and saw the rest of the Ala Alba making their way to them.

"It's no problem-de gozaru." Something then caught her eye. "Ah. I see an old friend is making his way here as well."

The three girls looked to where Kaede was looking and caught a glimpse of auburn hair and a familiar wooden staff. "Negi-kun!"

"Ahaha! Long time no see girls!" Negi greeted as he then got hit on the head by Asuna. "OWW! What was that for?!"

"That was for not replying to my letters for two months!!" The orange-haired girl then pinched the boy's cheeks. "And that is for getting so tall! It's bad enough that Yue's getting taller but look at you: You're almost as tall as I am!"

He grinned. "Well, it is getting to be that time. My Dad started getting growth spurts at about this age too." He then tapped his chin. "Anyway, what brings you here?"

"Yue's on her way back from Ariadne." Nodoka explained. "We're coming to meet her by the Gateport."

"Ah…Right." The boy nodded. "By the way, Yue-san's been getting pretty famous in the Magic World. It turns out that a lot of elite mage knight squads are keeping an eye on her."

"Oh wow! Yuecchi's that famous?!" Haruna said, her eyes widening. "I knew she was skilled but not _that _skilled!"

Nodoka smiled. "Yue's sure full of surprises…"

"I have an idea: Why don't we enter together?" Negi suggested. "You'll just have to send my regards to Yue-san though."

"Why, Negi, you going somewhere else?" Asuna asked, curious.

"Yes. To an old friend." Negi nodded, smiling. The orange-haired girl then noticed that something was in his tone after shaking off her blush.

"Who? Anya-chan?"

"I'm right here." Anya then entered the group's vision from behind, causing a few of them to jump. She crossed her arms as she stood beside Asuna. "One of the big wigs asked Negi to pick up our old friend."

"Old friend?" Asuna raised an eyebrow, only getting a weird grin from both kids. She then noticed that Anya was a lot taller than she remembered. She groaned. "Oh no! Not you too!!"

"Not my fault, used-to-be your _high_-ness." Anya crossed her arms, smirking a little. She then winked. "Oh, and for the record, I'm getting bigger in other areas too, if you know what I mean."

"This is so unfair!" Asuna mumbled, which earned laughs from the members of the Ala Alba. Even though she was blue-blooded, the orange-haired girl was getting left behind by her peers when it comes to height, among other things such as 'assets'. Yue and the other shorter students of Class 1-A, even the Narutaki twins, have started growing taller and are now catching up. Asuna's other classmates have not stop growing yet, either.

"Don't worry, Asuna-san! I'll like you no matter how small you remain in any aspect." Negi said sweetly, getting whistles and cheers from his former students and friend while getting a hard hit on the head from Asuna. _Though I have to admit, her punches __are__ getting a little stronger._

"WHAT'D YOU SAY, BOUZU?!" Asuna said loudly as she blushed, trying to strangle the boy while Kaede and Sayo held her by the arms.

"Now, now, Asuna, let's not start a fight. Konoka-chan isn't here so we won't be able to heal any injuries…" Kazumi said calmly, trying to reason with the girl. She mentally sighed as she saw that the girl was not angry, only overly flustered.

"Where is Konoka-san anyway?" Negi asked. "Usually she'll be happy to get out of the academy…"

"Konoka-dono is training under Eva-dono and said that she had no time to spare for this occasion-de gozaru." Kaede explained as she and Sayo let go of the now calmer Asuna.

"Ah…" Anya nodded. "…She still isn't used to it?"

"Sadly, yes." Asuna nodded, brushing off some dirt on her clothes.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about her." Negi said as he adjusted his glasses. "This is Konoka-san we're talking about, after all. She'll cheer up soon. _Right_, Anya?"

"_Right_, Negi." Anya nodded as she grinned, causing Asuna to grow more curious about what the two were talking about.

_There's something going on here…_ Asuna thought to herself as the two youngest members of the group gave each other strange looks.

"Everyone! The portal's ready-aru!" Ku Fei shouted, pointing to the center of the place, which had started giving off light.

"Well, I'll see you guys around." Negi waved as he, Haruna and Nodoka started making their way towards the portal. "I'll write to you next week, Asuna-san. I have something very important to tell you."

"You better!" Asuna replied, crossing her arms.

Anya put her hands at the back of her head. "You guys aren't going?"

"We wouldn't want to draw any attention." Sayo said as she watched the three enter the light. "You aren't going with Negi-sensei either, Anya-san?"

"I was told to wait for him here." She then sat down, laying out a crystal ball and pulling out a pack of Tarot cards. "Anyway, I have to practice. Anyone want to help me?"

==retaL raeY enO==

Collette rubbed her eyes as soon as she felt light coming through the window by her seat. She then opened them, lazily wiping her eyeglasses as she looked out. Ariadne had supplied them with an aircraft to escort one of its most precious students, and the view that the aircraft provided for the precious student and her friends was spectacular, to say the least.

The beastgirl then adjusted her position, so that her knees were on the seat as she faced the row of seats beside her.

Collette lay her chin on the headrest as she watched a blue-haired girl sleep by the seat closest to the window, sunlight hitting her features, making her look beautiful.

"It's impolite to stare Collette." A voice came from behind, causing the beastgirl to jump.

"B-Beatrix!" she replied as she turned, seeing a short-haired girl with pitch black eyes. "I wasn't staring! I was just…checking on Yue!"

The other girl only chuckled as she too looked at the sleeping girl, but only for a brief time. "Well, I'm surprised you aren't used to it. I mean, you were roommates with the face that almost caused a mini-war among the freshmen."

"Geez, it was only for a month…" Collette said, fiddling with one of her ears. She then sighed as a smile appeared on her face. "But, really, who knew a year could make Yue grow so beautiful, right? Not that I had a problem with the way she looked before but--"

"Don't you mean handsome?"

"Beatrix!"

"Don't mind me. It's just that it suits her better don't you think?" The raven-haired girl said as she scanned Yue's face, which had grown more mature and had now given her a sort of 'cool' aura. She then reached out to touch the now shorter blue hair. "This too."

"She did say it was getting in the way." Collette sighed, wondering how exactly Yue's friends from Japan would react to the mage's new haircut. _I already get enough awkward moments with them…since I was the one who erased Yue's memories last year…_

"It couldn't be helped. It was slowing me down." Both girls jumped at that, seeing another blue-haired girl, this time leaning on the door that lead to the outside of the vessel.

"Y-Yue!!" A surprised Collette said while Beatrix was gazing back and forth between the Yue asleep on the seat and the Yue leaning on the door.

"I wanted to step out for a bit, but I didn't want to worry you, so I made that doppelganger." The blue-haired girl explained as she took a juice box from her pocket and started drinking.

Both girls sighed in relief. _That's Yue for you._

"A-anyway…up to what topic did you learn this summer?" Collette said, trying to change the subject. _To think that we were going over doppelgangers last week…She must've learned about it way before the teacher discussed it…_

"Hmm…" Yue tapped her chin. "…Somewhere between the great demon tribes and demon disguises?"

Both girls gaped. They weren't supposed to tackle that topic until the next year and a half. Yue, who was allowed to study under any free professor at the time she would like to go to class, had probably finished their curriculum for this year a week after her arrival.

"Y-you're serious?!"

"Yep." Yue nodded as she took another sip of the _Anya Cocoalova_ on her left hand. _Apparently, they already made merchandise about us…Hmm…this one's just as tasty as that Negi Springfills and Setsuna Sakura-sake I had the other day…speaking of Sakurazaki-san, I wonder how she's doing. Collette told me she saw someone that looked like her when we went to Ostia for a trial assignment…maybe it was someone else? Maybe I should look into it more, for Konoka's--_

"YUE!!!"

"Huh? What?" Yue blinked, finding herself face to face with an angry Emily Sevensheep. _Did I space out for a long time again? Oops. Strange, though, it's been happening more frequently._

"Umm…"Emily scratched her cheek, which had started turning red. "We're here. You…you better put a disguise on."

"Ah. Right." Yue nodded as she began to mentally chant. _You use less magic when you chant mentally, though it's more advanced. _In a matter of seconds, a tall girl with dark blue hair wearing sunglasses, a small vest over a loose blouse and pants had appeared in front of Emily, causing the said girl to blush.

"Are you okay?" Yue asked with a slightly different voice, causing the other girl to turn even redder.

Suddenly, Beatrix went into the room, grabbing the flustered Emily's hand and started heading out of the aircraft. "Ojousama! We need to hurry. Yue--errr…_Yuu_, follow us."

Yue nodded as she smiled mentally and followed the two girls. _I guess I really can't live in a world where no one keeps saying Ojousama every now and then…My only wish is that I hear it in Mahora Academy again, for her sake._

Meanwhile, Beatrix was leading the way to the gateport, mentally sighing to herself as she took brief glances at the blue-haired girl behind them.

_Man oh man do I have competition…_

==retaL raeY enO==

Negi, Nodoka and Haruna stepped out of the building. The Magic World was more beautiful than the two girls remembered, and it took them a few minutes to take it all in.

"This place never ceases to amaze me, even if we did spend all those months living in it and fighting for it." Haruna said, lifting her eye-patch to get a better view.

"Well, a few things have changed since we went here for the first time." Negi said. He then pointed to the grand statue at the center of the square they were in front of: A statue of the Ala Alba. At the front was Asuna, wielding her great sword, looking as threatening as she could. Beside her was Ku Fei, who was in her fighting stance. Yue was on the other side, wand ready, with Nodoka and Haruna behind her, fully-equipped with their artifacts. Kotaro and Anya were right behind Negi, who was at the center and was casting a spell. Kazumi and Sayo were beside Ku-Fei, with the ghost riding on Kazumi's shoulder. Kaede was behind Kazumi, her hand in the traditional Ninja sign. Chisame and Chachamaru, on the other hand, were next to Yue.

But the most detailed part was behind Negi: Konoka in her white costume, holding a fan in both her hands as she smiled. Beside her, almost covering her with a wing, was none other than Setsuna, Yuunagi in one hand and her artifact in the other. She was facing Konoka, her head tilted in such a way that she was looking back at the observer who was viewing the statue, as if asking 'Are you with us or not?'.

Haruna whistled as they made their way to the statue, circling the site and then stopped at the front. "Wow. Never imagined to see something like this."

"Well, no one really expects that they see a statue of themselves in their lifetime, Paru." Nodoka chuckled. "Though I have to admit, I'm at a loss of words too."

"I wonder if Yuecchi's seen this yet…" Haruna mumbled, touching Asuna's sword.

"Maybe. You can ask her when she gets back." Negi said. "Wait, aren't you meeting her by the gateport?"

"Oh, right!" Haruna said, and in seconds the three were back to the entrance of the gateport, amidst the crowds of people. "Wait, how do we find Yuecchi?"

"Don't worry. I'm pretty sure we'll hear something like 'Yue-sama's here! Please give way!' or something like that." Nodoka smiled.

Negi then checked his wristwatch, and his eyes widened. "Excuse me girls, but I'll have to take my leave. The one I'm supposed to meet should be arriving in a few seconds."

"See you, Negi-kun." Haruna said as she and Nodoka waved goodbye to their former teacher, who went into the building. The girl then sighed. "Man! Give him a year and Negi-kun's turned into an important person!"

Nodoka only chuckled at her friend's behavior. "Silly. It's even harder not to become an important person when you're the Thousand Master's son!"

Unfortunately, Nodoka seemed to have forgotten one important rule when one is in the Magic World and is in a public place: NEVER mention the Thousand Master, or the Thousand Master's Son.

"THOUSAND MASTER'S SON?! WHERE?!"

"KYAAA~!!! NEGI-SAMA IS HERE!!"

"NEGI SPRINGFIELD?! HERE?!"

"GET THOSE GIRLS!! THEY HAVE INFO ON NEGI-SAMA!!"

In a matter of seconds, the two girls were swamped with rabid Negi fans. Their ears were filled with various squeals and shouts which all had 'Where' and 'Negi' in them. Haruna then managed to break free from the crowd, grabbing Nodoka's hand as she began to run from the crowd.

"Well I told you we were gonna get mobbed!!" Haruna said amidst the squeals of those running after them, all of them blood-thirsty for information on a certain auburn-haired mage.

"I told you they're Fan Clubs!!" Nodoka shouted back. "Negi-san's Fan Club to be more specific!!"

"Oh _no, _Nodoka! I'm pretty sure it's Ku's Fanclub that's chasing after us because they want information on Negi-kun!!" Haruna's eyes widened as she realized that she just said her friend's name aloud.

"NODOKA-SAMA'S HERE TOO?!"

"WHERE?!"

"WE LOVE YOU NODOKA-SAMA!!"

"Ugh, PARU!!!" Nodoka said, immediately placing her hands over her mouth as she realized that her shout caused more chaos among the crowd. _Oops._

"HARUNA-SAMA TOO?!"

"WHERE?! WHERE?! AND WHY ISN'T ANYONE ANSWERING MY QUESTIONS?!"

"I CAN'T SEE HER ANTENNA!! WHERE IS SHE?!"

"JUST KEEP FOLLOWING THOSE GIRLS! THEY HAVE THE INFO!!!"

"Geez, thanks a lot!" Haruna said as they ran from the Negi/Haruna/Nodoka fans. They were already on the other side of the square where the Ala Alba statue was located, and it looked like the fans still aren't tired. "We have got to get away from these freaks!!! Can't you teleport us out of here or something?!"

"I can't cast a spell!" Nodoka said. "That might cause even more trouble!!"

"Tch! I can't summon anything either…it'll make things worse!" Haruna said. She then saw that several buildings up ahead. "We'll just have to lose them there!!"

The duo ran towards the said buildings, with the mob at their heels. They then saw several Nagi and Negi posters on the structures, indicating that they were in a marketplace.

_Just a little farther…Yes!!_ Nodoka thought as she and Haruna ran passed several stalls and people, but realized that the mob only got bigger. "Paru! It's not working!"

"Just keep running for your life!" Haruna said. "Remember that this is nothing compared to beating that shapeshifter girl last year!"

The purple-haired girl nodded as she ran faster, not noticing a little stone on the side of the road, causing her to trip.

"Ouch…" Nodoka said, her knees hurting. _I don't think I can run very fast with these._

"Nodoka!" Haruna stopped and looked back, only to find out that the crowd had caught up with them. She then noticed that Nodoka's glasses have fallen off. _Oh crap._

"Hey…doesn't she look like Nodoka-sama?!" One of the fans said, causing a few to nod.

"It must be a charm!!"

"It's Nodoka-sama!!!"

_Uh-oh_. Nodoka closed her eyes, ready for the damage to be done. _Looks like I'll have to say goodbye to my hearing for a few weeks._

She waited for a few seconds, surprised that nothing had happened yet. She then opened her eyes, noticing that someone in front of her, as if to block away the crowd. She looked up, noticing that the one in front of her had short blue hair.

"And who are you?" A random fan said as he crossed his arms.

"Sorry, but I am the one who should be asking that." The blue-haired person said, in a slightly deep voice, turning and offering a hand to Nodoka, who took it and noticed that the teen had slightly rough hands. _She must be a girl…a mage too. Hmm… _Nodoka thought. "Who are you to ambush my professor and my delinquent classmate?"

"Professor?! She's Nodoka-sama!"

"Delinquent…?" Haruna mumbled. _I hope she's not referring to me._

"Yes. Professor. This is my teacher from Ariadne and she is to pick up a student who had been sent home a month ago." She explained, giving the crowd a cold stare while pointing at Nodoka and then Haruna.

"And why would we believe that this girl is actually your professor when she looks like Nodoka-sama?!"

"Because, my schoolmates are directly behind you and they know our teacher." The girl smirked, causing half of them to mutter "Huh?"

"All right!! What's with all this ruckus?!" Emily said, causing all of the fans to jump in surprise. "We're gonna have to arrest you for disturbing the peace!!"

"E-Emily-sama!"

"You shouldn't give our professor and schoolmates a hard time." Beatrix said, crossing her arms. "But since we were just here to see off Yue, we'll let you off the hook."

"Yue-sama?!" A few of the fans perked up. "Where--"

"Yue already left with her friends Miyazaki-san and Saotome-san." Collette smiled. "Now, please get away from here before we report you to the actual mage knights on patrol."

With that, the now scared fans quickly dispersed, with Beatrix, Collette and Emily acting like sheep dogs. Haruna, Nodoka and the blue-haired girl watched as the crowd and the other three girls get smaller and smaller, seeing Collette waving to them before they were unrecognizable.

"Well, that was a rather close call don't you think?" The blue-haired girl said, pulling out a green _Library Elixir H.S._ and a purple juice box _Library Elixir N.M._ and giving them to Haruna and Nodoka, respectively. "That should help you recover from all that running. I, for one, prefer this." She took out a blue juice box, _Library Elixir Y.A._

"Ah! Yuecchi!! I didn't recognize you!" Haruna said, opening her eye-patch to check if it was actually her friend.

Nodoka laughed. "You only found out just now? I figured it out the moment I touched her hand."

"Well, excuse me for being spell-illiterate!" Haruna said as she crossed her arms, causing the purple-haired girl to chuckle. She then grinned. "Anyway, thanks for the save Yuecchi."

"It's nothing, really." Yue said, finishing her drink. The three girls then started walking back to the gateport, ignoring the various calls of the vendors. "Besides, that was only half as troublesome as the Konosetsu club that ambushed me when I arrived here."

The trio soon arrived at the gateport, following the directions of the guides until they arrived to the path to the portal that will take them back to Wales. As usual, it was full of hundreds of people, all wanting to go back to the real world. With this, it was easy to get separated from your friends, which was exactly what happened.

"Yue-- err…_Yuu_!! _Haruka_!!!" Nodoka called, finding both her friends were out of her sight. She looked around the crowd as she walked, hoping to find at least one of them.

"OUT OF THE WAY!!" A huge man with a big backpack said, accidentally bumping into the purple-haired girl, causing the other girl to lose her balance.

"…Eh?" Nodoka blinked, expecting that she land on the ground. Instead, it seemed as though someone had caught her from behind.

"It looks like that man doesn't have any manners towards young girls; Right, Miss?" Nodoka heard the person say as she was helped to a standing position. She turned around, finding that the person who had helped her was a tall black-haired boy about her age. _Who…who is he? And why am I getting this feeling?_ "Um…Thank you."

"You're welcome." He nodded. Nodoka then noticed that his eyes widened. The boy then grabbed Nodoka's right arm, revealing a cut.

"Tsk. There was probably something sharp in that man's bag." The purple-haired girl then saw him pull out a piece of cloth, applying pressure on her cut before tying it. "Please put up with this until your friends arrive." He smiled before walking away.

"No--Sensei!!" Nodoka heard a voice from behind, seeing tall Yue and eye-patched Haruna making their way towards her. "Are you all right? You suddenly disappeared a while ago."

"I'm fine." Nodoka smiled, happy that Yue had actually been worrying about her. She then heard Yue say. "What's that on your arm?"

"It's a cut. A person bumped into me when we got separated." The purple-haired girl explained. _But it's all right now, I think._

"Well then, let me heal it for you." Yue said, reaching for the cloth before Haruna butted in.

"Hmm…I wonder who gave you that, right Yue---Yuuchi?" Haruna said in a mischievous tone, tapping her hand on her chin as she smirked.

"A good person probably, he helped Nodoka after all." The blue-haired girl said, feeling a sudden urge to frown as she felt a pang in her chest. She then unwrapped the makeshift bandage, and the sight before her made her eyes widen.

Nodoka's arm was free of any injury, as if it had never been cut. And, instead of seeing any blood on the cloth, a single petal was on Yue's hand along with the cloth, which had a strangely familiar smell. _Cherry blossoms?_ _This is an advanced healing spell!_

Yue then looked up as she looked at the room from left to right, finding no familiar or suspicious face.

Nodoka and Haruna, on the other hand, exchanged expressions as Yue acted strangely, as if there was an enemy upon them. They were even more perplexed when the blue-haired girl suddenly calmed down, taking a pink juice box from her pocket. "Anything wrong Yuecchi?"

_I felt a familiar presence…_

"Nothing. Just my imagination, I guess." Yue shrugged as she frowned, feeling a sense of unrest as well as another pang.

_Sake, work your magic and dull my senses. I'm starting to overreact. _

==retaL raeY enO==

"Hmm…another bad one." Anya said as she looked at the card. "Looks like you might not get any taller Asuna."

"Augh!!!" Asuna groaned. "And to think my fortune was supposed to be good this year!"

"Well…maybe you should check with Konoka? She was the one who gave me a few tips." Anya said as Sayo sat in front of her. The girl then started, and her eyes widened as she saw the result. "Oho, Sayo! It looks like you're going to encounter love pretty soon!"

"E-eh?" Sayo stuttered as she blushed. "B-but I can't…I'm-I'm--"

"Oh come on, Sayo-chan." Kazumi pat the girl on the back as she winked. "You've got great looks and a cute personality. What more could a guy want?"

"B-but Asakura-san, I-I…" The grey-haired girl blushed even more, twiddling her fingers as she tried to get the rest of her sentence out.

"Yep. Just like that Sayo-chan!" Kazumi grinned as an explosion of light came from behind her. "Ah. It looks like they're here."

"Oi!! Over here!!" Asuna said, jumping as she waved her arms. _Damn. I really wish I won't have to do this every time I need to stand out of a crowd!!_

"Ah. Ayase. Long time no see, eh?" Chisame said, holding up a hand as the blue-haired girl came up to her. "You two can dispel the illusion at the inn. We wouldn't want some reaction to happen here."

"As always." Yue nodded, looking around once more. _They're gone. _"Shall we head back now?"

"Sure thing. I'll just have to tell Anya-cha--" Asuna said as she turned, immediately discovering that Anya was nowhere in sight. "Where'd she go?" she said, raising an eyebrow, which only earned shrugs from her fellow classmates. _Something is __definitely__ going on._

"Asuna!!! We're leaving!"

"Ah!" The orange-haired girl snapped out of it, noticing that the others were already far away. "Wait for me!"

==retaL r_ea_Y enO==

"_Ah. Setsuna-kun! How is your tribe doing? Are you leading them well?"_

"_They're fine sir. I'm not sure if I'm making a good leader but everything seems to be all right."_

"_I see! Well then, Konoka is in that room."_

"_Thank you sir."_

"I…I've returned Ojousama…" A girl said as she kneeled towards a brown-haired girl facing the window. The sky was clear that night; the stars highlighting the other girl's face in a way that made her look like a goddess. _No…even more…more gorgeous._

Konoka turned around, looking at the girl in front of her. She was more beautiful than the last time she had seen her. Her hair was now white, and was a little longer. Her eyes were a fierce shade of crimson, a sight that was hard not to gaze at. The brown-haired girl took a deep breath, restraining herself from jumping into the other girl's arms at that very moment. "So…so you have. Why have you come here, at a time like this? Surely you wouldn't--"

"I've gotten stronger, Kono-chan." The brown-haired girl's eyes widened as she soon found herself inches away from the other girl, a strong arm wrapped around her slender waist. The other hand soon reached for Konoka's chin, causing her to look at the other girl in the eyes as well as her breath to graze the other girl's mouth. "Secchan…"

"I've gotten stronger…physically and emotionally." Setsuna's hot breath tingled Konoka's lips, causing the other girl to blush. Much to Konoka's surprise, Setsuna still had her usual skin color. _Usually she'd be beet red when I'm this close to her…You've…really changed Secchan._

_I like it._

"I can't take it anymore. Kono-chan, will you…" were the last words Konoka heard before both of them closed their eyes, faces coming together to release the emotions that have been kept in check for a long, long time…

==retaL raeY enO==

_Oh crap._ Was Konoka's first thought when she first opened her eyes, brown orbs catching sight of the clock: 5: 40 AM. She then discovered that she was in an unusual sleeping position: Her pillow was on the floor; her blankets were tangled with her legs and half of it was also on the floor; But, most of all:

_I didn't… _She was lying on her side, with a hand between her legs.

_I did._

Konoka groaned as she got up. "Ugh. Not again."

_Curse these teenage hormones…_She thought to herself as she opened the bathroom light, and then she started washing her hands and washing her face. _I am not cooking breakfast without cleaning these. That's disgusting. _

After making her bed, she then turned on the kitchen light as she thought of what to prepare for breakfast, readying the materials seconds later.

_Now, onto the next agenda._ She thought as she put the food on the table, heading towards the bed. The brown-haired girl then climbed two steps on the ladder, seeing a tired Asuna asleep on her bed. "Asuna, wake up." _Now that her inheritance is paying for her tuition, she doesn't have to deliver papers anymore. _

_Which makes it even harder to wake her up._

"Asuna, if you don't wake up soon, we're going to be late." Konoka repeated, getting a sleepy "50 more minutes Konoka…"

_That's it. The gloves are off._ Konoka thought as she went down the ladder and got something from the other side of the room. She then climbed up again, making sure that she was as close to Asuna's ear. _Time to apply one of Eva-chan's lessons._

"Asuna…if you don't get up this second, I'm going to start practicing with Yuunagi again." She whispered to the girl's ear, mimicking the sound of a sword being unsheathed with a small blade she kept by the door.

In less than a second, Asuna sat up and jumped off the bed, already sitting down and wolfing down her breakfast.

"Eva-chan's such a good teacher…" Konoka giggled as she headed towards the bathroom to get ready for school. _Now, if only she were a good student and actually do her homework by herself… _

==retaL raeY enO==

"Good morning everyone!" Kazumi said as she entered the room, finding half of 1-A already there. Sayo followed suit and greeted the others as well, with Kazumi noticing a girl that were out of place. "Asuna! I didn't expect you two to be here so early!"

Asuna slumped in her seat. "Konoka scared me awake again…"

"Ooh…I don't see her here." Kazumi said, her eyes scanning the room just in case she missed seeing the girl.

"Oh, she and Eva-chan are _excused _again." Asuna said, which was a code for: 'Konoka's training at Eva-chan's resort.'

That signaled the end of the topic as Kazumi and Sayo took their seats at the bottom right of the classroom, the same place they were seated in Middle School.

For the last thirty minutes, the girls in the room acted individually, doing a certain task and only talking to another girl only when it was completely necessary. It was only in the last fifteen minutes when the rest of the class arrived. Most of them went through the door; others, such as Misora, Zazie and Ku, had gone through the window to avoid being late; Chachamaru had mysteriously arrived in their seats with no one noticing. The last one to arrive had been Hakase, much to her dismay, because the last one to arrive would always get caught in one of Ayaka and Asuna's arguments. _If only I didn't stay up to design that prototype the Dean wanted…_

"Well, Asuna-san, just because you're a little early today doesn't mean that you can hold your head up high and disrespect my authority as the class representative!"

"I'm not disrespecting anything! I just asked if you can quiet down so that I can concentrate on my notes!"

"Pft! You concentrate on your notes? A likely story! Just as likely as you taking notes during class!!"

"What're you trying to say, shotacon IIncho?!"

"I'm only being realistic, idiot Monkey!!"

"100 Yen on Iincho!"

"200 on Asuna!"

"500 yen on neither." Yue said monotonously, probably still sleepy from studying spells all night.

"Huh? Now why would make a bet like that?" Chisame took her eyes away from her laptop and turned her attention to the blue-haired girl.

"Because Takahata-sensei just entered the room." She pointed at the person by the door, who was indeed Takahata.

"Good call Ayase."

"Now, girls. As much as I'd like to promote this to increase your friendship with each other, I'm afraid we have to get to class instead." Takahata said as he smiled, seeing both girls stop, stare at him for a millisecond and run back to their seats for the rest of the second, all while the other girls were groaning as they were giving money to Yue, who had already started drinking a black juice box.

"Now, I know you all just had your summer vacation, and we've only been together for only four months, but I'm afraid I have to abandon my post as your advisor." The white-haired man said once he got to the teacher's desk. "The Dean had assigned me to do a very important task, and I can't handle that and handling you girls in other subjects besides English. So you'll be getting a new teacher…again."

"How old is he this time? Five?" Sakurako asked, causing a pleasant reaction from her seatmate, Ayaka.

"Maybe an old guy who likes wearing black clothes?" Chizuru wondered, causing Natsumi to shiver in fear.

"Demon." Zazie said as she stopped her juggling, causing Takahata's eyes to widen and Yue to choke on her juice, as well as Chisame to start patting Yue's back.

"You girls are getting a little close… Actually, Shiina-kun, he's fifteen." Takahata said. He then grinned. "But I know some of you will probably be happy he's here." His eyes landed on every member of the Ala Alba, and he got curious stares in return. Just what he expected. "Now without further ado, I'll leave you to his care. See you in English Class."

Takahata left the room as he closed the door after him. Makie, who was the one closest to the door, tried her best to hear the conversation on the other side.

"…_you Takahata…"_

"_No need to…kun…but…you can't…at all?"_

"_I'll have to…if someone…"_

"_Ok then…of luck!"_

Somewhere along the conversation, Makie had ended up pressing her ear to the door, with silent cheers from her classmates. Then, she heard footsteps coming, and she scrambled to her seat.

The door creaked open, and there entered a black-haired boy. He was wearing a shirt that was similar to the girls' uniform, with the vest of the same color as the school uniform. He was also wearing a school necktie, but he was wearing a pair of slacks instead of a skirt. He carried a small box under his right arm and then placed it on the desk with a small book that was on the other hand.

"My name is Touma Sakurai." He wrote his name on the board, then he turned to the class and smiled, causing a few to blush as well as some of the Ala Alba to raise an eyebrow. Nodoka and Yue's eyes widened at the same time: It was the same boy that helped Nodoka, and the presence that Yue had felt. _One of them anyway…I think I figured it out. Now, to talk to h--__sensei__ privately. _"Let's all have a wonderful high school life together, OK?"

* * *

Note: If you have already figured out what is going on (I think I've gotten overboard with the clues…), please don't spoil. To those who haven't figured it out, keep reading, you're bound to figure it out the next two chapters. Feedback is much appreciated.

**Character Profiles: Batch 1**

Negi Springfield- Age 11 (turning 12);

-Former teacher of Mahora Academy Middle School Class 3-A, he is currently one of the most renowned mages in Wales.

-He usually spends his days helping other people while going back and forth from his hometown to the Magic World.

Yue Ayase- Age 15;

-Now a member of Mahora Academy High School Class 1-A, she is one of the most powerful mages in the school due to her experience in Ostia as well as continuous training ever since returning to Mahora Academy last year.

-She is currently teaching magic to apprentice mages from Elementary to Middle School and to her best friend Nodoka Miyazaki.

-She spends every summer taking classes at Ariadne and is on her way to become an official Mage Knight.

-Having gotten over her crush on Negi, there is only one flaw to this great mage: She is extremely oblivious to the feelings of her classmates from the Magic World AND Mahora Academy.

Nodoka Miyazaki- Age 16;

-Like the rest of Class 3-A, she is now a member of Class 1-A (High School).

-The object of her feelings is currently unknown, though some of her actions point to Yue Ayase.

-She, along with the rest of the Ala Alba, is now part of the guardians of the school.

-No longer afraid of expressing herself around other people, a lot of her schoolmates look up to her.

Takahata T. Takamichi- In his 30's;

-A former teacher of Class 3-A and now former teacher of Class 1-A, Takahata currently teaches English in the High School division.

-Judging from the smile he wore when he introduced his replacement, this man seems to know more than the usual about what's happening…

**Next Batch: 08, 10, 13, 26**


	3. First Day of Class

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima

* * *

**Restart**

**Chapter 3: **First Day of Class

_Suspicious._

That was the first thing that popped in Asuna Kagurazaka's mind when she saw the new teacher enter. For one thing, no one in the faculty would even think of dressing like that, nor would they bring something that was apparently not related to their lessons. _What kind of teacher would being a box to class anyway?! Unless he's planning to read manga while he gives us tests, that is._

While Asuna was having her thinking session, the rest of 1-A have already started causing a bit of a ruckus. So, on the moment when Asuna decided to turn her attention to her classmates, she found that all of them had left their seats except for her, Yue, Chisame, Mana and a few others.

The orange-haired girl only raised an eyebrow when she saw her classmates going nutso on the guy in the same manner they did when it was Negi who had been standing at the front. The rest of 1-A was currently cornering the new teacher behind the teacher's table, firing question after question with Kazumi holding a mike next to the teen's mouth.

"Where did you come from?!"

"How did you get here?!"

"Are you living with someone right now?!"

"Where do you live now?"

"Umm...One question at a time please! We have more than enough time to tackle all this so please don't ask all at once." He said as he put up his hands in defense of the already screaming girls, who instantly quieted down, eager to hear what he'll say next. "Erm…as for where I came from…I was born in Wales but I finished my high school studies here in Japan. As for college…well…my father said I should finish in Wales so I did it in a year…"

"Wales?!"

"That's where Negi-kun is!"

"Do you know Negi-kun, sensei?!"

"Negi-san…" Asuna's eyes widened as she heard Negi's name. _Don't tell me this idiot is related to him? But, weren't Negi's credentials fake?_

"Negi-san had graduated after my first month in the University. So…you can say that I'm his kohai." The boy smiled uneasily, causing even more curiosity on the orange-haired girl's part. "A-Actually, he was the one who recommended me to teach here."

Various squeals erupted from the girls as they tried to contain their excitement.

"I can't believe it!!"

"Negi-kun's kohai, our high school teacher!!"

"More than that, he's a total bishounen!"

"Now…I wonder what he'll look like without the formal clothes…"

"Misa!!"

"Geez Kugimin, I'm just wondering what he'll look like with casual clothes on instead of the uniform!" Misa giggled. "Naughty girl! What did you think I was thinking?"

"Sh-shut up! And I told you not to call me that!" Madoka said, blushing a little at her friend's antics.

"Um…since when did this become a conversation about wardrobe…?" He asked, feeling uneasy around the girls, who were currently talking about how good-looking the teacher is.

_Crap. Now I feel sorry for him. Once you get those girls to start on looks, they're probably gonna want to experiment…_Asuna mentally sighed. She stood up, walking over to the small crowd, but she was surprised when Ayaka beat her there.

"Now, Sakurai-sensei." Ayaka said in a formal tone. _So…she isn't interested at all huh…what a shotacon. _Asuna thought to herself. "Can I ask one question?"

"F-fire away Miss."

"Does Negi-sensei have any strange habits that he hardly shows to anyone at all? Especially not to girls?" Ayaka asked in a sing-song manner, apparently only giving a damn about the teen because he has a connection with their former teacher.

"Errr…" The dark-haired boy adjusted his tie as he tried to answer, looking like a deer caught in the headlights of a car.

"STUPID IINCHO!!" Asuna said, hitting the other girl in the head. _Wait…That kid looked at me like he expected me to do something…Hm…that makes him even more suspicious._

"Now, Asuna-san, is that a way to behave when a teach--"

"SHOTACON!"

"You want to have another go, you stupid monkey?!"

"You're still not denying it!!!"

"500 yen on Iincho!"

"600 yen on Asuna!"

"Um…sensei?" Ako said as she tapped the teacher's shoulder; both of them were amidst the crowd that had started betting on the brawl. "Shouldn't you try and stop this fight? They're throwing things at each other now…"

"Oh! Err…Right." The boy smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Thank you for the suggestion Izumi-san. I was too nervous to think about a solution to this." He then headed towards the crowd, unable to see Ako's blush.

"And since when did you care about a younger teacher!?"

"I am telling you that I just wanted to stop the ruckus!"

"Oh…that's very smart Asuna-san! Trying to stop the ruckus with a fight with me! Oh well, this solution can only be expected from a monkey like you!!"

"Um…girls…I think you two should stop this…" Touma came up from behind Asuna, causing the orange-haired girl to look back. Ayaka, who didn't see the teacher among the crowd, threw a nearby bag at Asuna, hitting her right on the head. This caused the orange-haired girl to stumble forward, falling.

Asuna landed face-first on the floor, instead of being caught by the teacher, who had moved quickly to the right as if to dodge her…

…which caused five full seconds of exposure for Asuna's underwear.

Nodoka's eyes widened. _Didn't he catch me before?_

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"Damn, I can't believe him!!" Asuna said as she ate her lunch in the same manner she ate her breakfast. "I am definitely not going to let myself be taught by that…that creep!!"

"Wasn't that the same thing you said when it was Negi-kun?" Misora said, reluctantly accepting the bit of food Cocone held up in front of her. _Ugh…vegetables…_ It was now lunch break, and she, Asuna and Cocone were on the rooftop, a common place where the girls involved with magic meet up to relax or, in this case, eat. As usual, Cocone was sitting in between her legs, leaning against her chest as the smaller girl held up small bits of Misora's lunch for the bigger girl to eat. "You know Cocone…I can still live a day or two without vegetables."

All the spiky-haired girl got was a blank stare, at least, in Asuna's eyes.

Misora rubbed the back of her head. "Oh come on…I'll still grow."

Another blank stare.

This time, Misora chuckled, patting the younger girl's head. "Now, now Cocone…it's rude (_and dangerous_) to talk about a person who's right in front of you."

"You two were talking?" Asuna raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We understand each other well, don't we?" Misora grinned. _Must not tell her that Cocone was making me eat vegetables so that I don't wind up on becoming a shorty like her, I might get killed if I do. Either way, I have to change the subject. _"Anyway, what were you saying about Sakurai-sensei?"

Asuna frowned immediately after hearing the name. "He's an idiot, a creep, dense, annoying, irritating, annoying, an idiot, and I'm pretty sure that he only agreed to come here to peep on the girls!"

"Didn't know you care that much about Touma-kun, Asuna. Itadakimasu." Kazumi, who had arrived at the rooftop together with Sayo, Kaede, Ku Fei, Haruna, Nodoka and Yue while Asuna was ranting, said as she started eating.

"You said idiot and annoying twice-de gozaru." Kaede pointed out as she sat down beside Misora. "Ah. Hello Cocone-dono."

"That just means he's twice the idiot and twice as annoying!" the orange-haired girl said angrily, crossing her arms now that she had finished eating.

"Well then, it looks like your going to _enjoy_ the after-school session later." Haruna said, smiling.

"Huh?"

"Oh, don't you remember the activity earlier?"

Asuna frowned. "What activity?"

==First Day of Class==

"OK. Now that you're all seated…" Touma started as he scratched his cheek. Asuna had stormed to her seat immediately after she tripped, effectively putting some sense into her classmates as well as erasing their cause of excitement. That caused Ayaka to regain her composure and order the rest of the class to go to their seats, which they did. "I've set up a little activity."

Excited voices filled the air once again, this time even Ayaka couldn't tame the class. A little glad that the girls reacted in such a way, Touma then went to the table and put the box on the middle. "This box contains thirty-one pins. Each of them has a number, ranging from one to thirty-one. Everyday after my class, I'll pick four pins from the box, and the four girls with the same class numbers on the pins can see me in the faculty room after school, and ask me anything so long as they do it individually and it's not too personal."

Touma smiled as he pat the box once. "Now, can we pick the first four?"

He got cheers and squeals in reply, causing him to smile. "Now…for the first four…" Touma put his hand inside, blindly feeling for a pin. He eventually found one, and then repeated the process until he had four in his other hand. The black-haired boy looked at the first pin. "Who's…number 26?"

Groans of disappointment erupted from the class as Touma looked at his copy of the class list. "E…Evangeline A.K. McDowell? Is…Is McDowell-san present?"

"I'm sorry sensei, but it seems she's excused from class today." Satomi explained as she pushed up her glasses.

"Well, she's going to have to be excused for later too then…too bad." The teacher then looked at the next pin. "Number fifteen…" He immediately looked at the class list, oblivious to how silent the class had become ever since he said 'fifteen'.

Touma's eyes widened as he found no name beside the said number. "Um…why isn't there a number fifteen?"

His eyes scanned the expressions of his students, all having reactions ranging from plain to nostalgic to downright sad. No one said anything for quite a while before Nodoka stood up, nodding to her classmates (who nodded back in encouragement) before replying with a warm smile. "Sensei, student number fifteen was a part of our class in Middle School, but due to some…unfortunate…events, she is no longer with us. Having that slot empty only shows that she is as important and irreplaceable as anyone of us here, and reminds us of everything we had with Setsuna-san, even if it was only sitting beside her or asking her about homework."

"You should've met her! She's really strong-aru!" Ku Fei said, punching the air.

"A valuable comrade-de gozaru." Kaede added as she smiled as she opened one eye.

"…saved my butt for more than two times last year." Chisame mumbled.

"She was cute when she wore that maid outfit!" Sakurako winked.

"Cute? She was hot."

"Misa!"

"Calm down, Kugimin. Did you see the way the upper _and_ lowerclassmen looked at her during the school festival?"

"Speaking of school festival, wasn't she the hero unit with wings?"

"Yeah, I wonder how they made her fly with only CG…"

"Angel." Zazie said as she tossed another pin, getting curious looks from her classmates.

"I…see. She must be really important to you girls…" Touma nodded as he made a strange expression. _It can't be helped…I really am…Ugh…_

"Sensei?" Fumika said, a little worried causing her teacher to suddenly realize that he was still in the classroom.

"Eh? Oh…I'm sorry…right…onto the third girl." He then looked at the third pin with the class list on his other hand. "Number…8. Asuna Kagurazaka?"

His students pointed to the orange-haired girl who was too busy glaring at him to notice that they were actually doing something in homeroom.

"So that's Kagurazaka-san…" Touma smiled uneasily as his cheeks colored a bit, remembering what had happened earlier. Seconds later, he snapped out of it and he then checked the fourth pin. "Number 13…Konoka…Konoe."

"Konoka-san is excused from classes today as well." Satomi immediately replied among the disappointed groans of her classmates.

"Thank you erm…" he looked at the class list. "…Hakase-san. Well, it looks like Kagurazaka-san will be the only one to see me later. See you tomorrow girls." Touma picked up his small book and box and then headed for the classroom door.

After the door closed, Nodoka immediately stood up, running out of the room. After the door slammed shut, Makie resumed eavesdropping with more encouragement from her more curious and assuming classmates.

"_Sensei!"_

"_Huh? Oh, Miyazaki-san. What is it?"_

"_About your handkerchief…"_

"_What handkerchief?"_

"_The one you wrapped around my arm during summer vacation. It is a handkerchief, right? Normal pieces of cloth don't usually have scents on them."_

"_Ah, right. Don't worry about that."_

"_I'll return it to you the day I get called. Will that be all right?"_

"_Actually, I wasn't expecting on seeing you again. But if you want to return it so badly, then all right."_

"_Thank you, sensei."_

"_No, thank you, Miyazaki-san."_

A few seconds later, Nodoka entered the classroom again, and was immediately ambushed with questions with the words 'handkerchief' 'scent' 'summer vacation' and even 'date'.

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"Eh? I was too busy glaring at him to notice." Asuna blinked, and then frowned. "So I'll be seeing this freak in the faculty room later? He knows Negi, so he must be a mage, right?"

"Well we can't assume things like that…" Kazumi said as she tapped her chin. "He may be someone who doesn't have magic but knows about magic."

"He has magic." Yue said firmly.

"Eh? Yuecchi?"

"He performed a high-level spell when he healed Nodoka's arm." Yue pointed out as she started to frown. "He was in the Magic World, and I felt his presence as well as Negi-san's."

"Wait! Negi?!" Asuna said incredulously. "So Negi was assigned to escort this dork to the normal world?!"

"It must be." The blue-haired girl then took out another juice box. "You did say Anya-san disappeared when we arrived right? That just means that escorting Sakurai-sensei was their job. That also means that if Negi-san was assigned, he should be very familiar with that boy, hence the part about Sakurai-sensei being his kohai might be true too."

"By the way, Nodoka, aren't you being a bit too friendly with Touma-kun?" Haruna teased, causing Yue to frown while Nodoka to almost choke on her food.

"G-geez Paru, it's not like that! I just wanted to return the handkerchief to him." The purple-haired girl defended herself as Kazumi then remembered something.

"Come to think of it…Negi-kun told me once that when a gentleman gives a handkerchief to a lady in distress, she is to return it over some sort of date…" The red-haired girl said, causing some of the girls to blush. She then noticed that Sayo's body was giving off more heat than usual. "Hey Sayo-chan, is there something wrong? You've been awfully quiet this lunch…should I get Hakase?"

"No, that's all right Asakura-san…I'm fine." Sayo said as she looked down. _I think…_

"Well, I told you he probably came to this school to get a girlfriend! Just look at the way he acts!" Asuna crossed her arms. "He's a damn flirt!"

"Well, I see you girls are having a lively conversation."

"T-Takahata-sensei!!"

"Hello." Takahata smiled. "I told you girls that you'd like him, it's the first day and you're already talking so loud about him."

"You know him, sensei?" Yue raised an eyebrow.

"Touma-kun is an old friend of Negi-kun's and mine. Negi-kun met him at school but I knew him when he was little." He then took something out of his pocket, giving Asuna a letter. "Here you go, Asuna-kun. Well, I'll be seeing you girls."

"A letter from Negi?" The orange-haired girl said as she looked at the letter. "But he said he'll write next week."

"He must've had free time-aru!" Ku Fei said, already finished with her Chao Bao Zi lunch.

"Yeah…maybe." Asuna then opened the letter and she unfolded the paper inside, causing a hologram of a Negi holding flowers to show up.

The rest of the girls, who were all watching behind Asuna's shoulder, chuckled as it seemed as though Negi was unaware that the letter had started, and they were right.

"_Oi, Negi! It's starting!"_ Anya's voice came out of nowhere, startling the auburn-haired boy.

"_Eh?! Err…Hi there, Asuna-san!" _Negi waved with his free hand. _"Anya and I were given a few days off duty, so I decided to write to you. I'm sorry for not writing to you because I had been assigned a lot of escort missions for the past month, so I was too tired and busy going back and forth from the Magic World to Wales to write to you. Well, everything is fine now and we're going to visit Setsuna-san at the hospital in the Magic World." _

The hologram smiled uneasily, receiving worried looks from the girls. _"Don't worry, it's nothing major. Her sister said something about a sparring accident and they needed a specialist to look at half-demon injuries because something might happen if they treat her with demon medicine. She's going to be stuck there for a week so we decided to visit! Look, Anya even thought of bringing flowers! She was so worried about Setsuna-san she got this many--"_

"_Ahh! Negi!! Don't tell them that!!" _A red Anya then entered the group's vision, and many of them could tell that she was really flustered.

"_But I was just telling them how good of a friend you were! I mean you only knew Setsuna-san for about a yea--"_

"_Anya Flaming Kick!!"_

"_Wait, don't do that! You might hit--"_

The hologram ended with half of the girls snickering /chuckling about what just happened. "Ahaha…Anya-chan is so cute when she's flustered."

"My, my…A crush on our Sakurazaki-san…" Haruna said as she grinned. "She sure is growing up."

"Moreover, it seems Sakurazaki-san's becoming quite popular on the other side." Kazumi added. "Anya-chan is one thing, but have you seen her fanclub?"

"Fanclub_s_." Haruna corrected. "I peeked at Chisame-san's laptop during a break and saw her checking the Ala Alba fanclubs. Sakurazaki-san has three major clubs as well as a few small ones, and all of them fighting over which should be the official club. But you know what the funny thing is?"

"What Paru-chan?"

"Most of one of the major clubs as well as all of the two major clubs were girls." The glasses-wearing girl smirked.

"Well, her looks is bound to attract a few girls." The red-haired girl agreed. "Combine that with her attitude, she's gonna be a full-fledged lady killer once we graduate."

"Oh come on guys, I don't think Setsuna-san's like that…"

"Oho, what's this Nodoka?" Haruna turned to the purple-haired girl with a glint in her eyes. "I was wondering why you defended Sakurazaki-san earlier but to actually call her by her first name? Did I miss something important?"

"I was only defending her because Asuna-san was too angry to do so, and Konoka-san is away." Nodoka replied in a calm tone.

"Ahh…speaking of Konoka-chan, have you seen the Konosetsu fanclub on the other side? You've seen how large it was, right Yuecchi?"

The purple-haired girl only smiled at the change of topic, happy that she didn't have to tell her classmates about that one memory. _She told me to call her by her first name the night before we went back to Wales._

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

_I can't believe I'm doing this._

Asuna sighed as scratched her head. It was already fifteen minutes after classes, and she was standing by the door to the faculty room. _To think that the reason why I'm here is to ask Yue's 'clue-giving, identifying' questions…Remind me to hit her on the head if she winds up as my patrol partner later._

The orange-haired girl took a deep breath, and then stepped into the room wearing the calmest frown she could muster.

_Anger management, don't fail me now._

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"So…how did it go?" Haruna teased as she sat in the waiting room outside the Dean's office, grinning as she winked.

Asuna only frowned, casting an intimidating glare at Yue. "I hate you. The faculty practically thinks of me as insane now."

"Well, you didn't have to ask them all." The blue-haired girl said, unaffected as she took another sip on her grey juice box. "I only wanted at least three answers."

"You ONLY gave me THREE." The orange-haired girl replied, grabbing a seat.

"I did?" Yue raised an eyebrow. "My bad."

"Oh, YOUR BAD all right." Asuna said as she tried to control her temper. She immediately calmed down when a pair of hands grabbed her shoulders, giving them a hard rub.

"Now, now Asuna. Yuecchi was only trying to find out who our enigmatic teacher is." Kazumi said as her face was close to Asuna's ear.

"Enigmatic?"

"Mysterious, Asuna-san." Sayo said as she continued rubbing for a few seconds until she was signaled to stop.

"Haa…thanks Sayo-chan." Asuna said as she stretched, now relaxed and showing no signs that she was going to pummel someone in a few seconds.

"Now, care to tell us what happened?" Kazumi grinned, winking at Haruna, who then elbowed Yue.

"Well…it was like this."

==First Day of Class==

"Ahem."

Touma looked up from his book, closing it as he took off his reading glasses. "Ah, Kagurazaka-san. Good Afternoon."

"Afternoon." Asuna repeated, frowning as she made her way to his desk.

"Oh? No 'good'?" The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow, wondering why she was in such a bad mood.

"Yes, no 'good'." _It's never a good afternoon when you get to see your pervert teacher privately._

"Err…OK." He said as he immediately put away the glasses and the book. "So…shall we start then? Please take a seat."

"It's fine with me." She replied as she did what she was told. _Heck. No it's not. I'm just doing this to get those answers._

"Right." Touma nodded, and then looked at a nearby clipboard with Asuna's file on it. "It says here that you're from the Art Club?"

Asuna nodded.

"Ah, and you transferred from overseas?"

Asuna nodded again, this time with her frown deepening. _Argh, it's already on the file, you dummy! _

"Oh, and it says here that you're going out with one of your kohai in the said club?"

_That_ got Asuna active.

"WHAT?! I AM NOT!!" Asuna immediately stood up, placing both her hands on the desk that separated her from her teacher.

"Kagurazaka-san! Please be reminded that this is a faculty room and not a stadium!"

"No, it's all right sensei, it was my fault." He chuckled. "Just checking if you were listening. I'm sorry, Asuna-san."

"Asuna-san?" The orange-haired girl raised an eyebrow. _Since when did we get to a first name basis?_

"Oh!! Errm…Sorry! I meant Kagurazaka-san! I used to calling-- people the same age as me by their first name but--Anyway, do you have anything to ask me? I-I'm finished with my questions."

Asuna looked at Touma with a half-angry, half-curious expression. "Fine. I've only got three."

"O-OK. Ask away then."

"Can I…see your wallet?"

"Huh? Oh, um, sure…" The boy said, uncertainty in his voice as he pulled out his wallet from his right pants pocket.

Asuna then looked inside and outside of the normal, brown wallet, blushing as the teachers who were in the room looked at her with curious stares. _Yue, I am going to kill you for this! There's nothing in here but-- hey…a picture of Negi and Anya-chan in the Magic World…WHAT THE HELL?! _

The orange-haired girl then glared at the black-haired boy, who pulled at his collar. "Is um…something wrong, Kagurazaka-san?"

"You know these two?" Asuna said, half-glaring at Touma as she showed him the picture.

"Well, I did say I was Negi-san's underclassman, so it should only make sense that I am Anya-san's underclassman too…or kohai in your terms." The black-haired boy explained. Asuna then put the picture back in and returned the wallet. "So…second question?"

"Can I see your phone?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, but I don't have one." He rubbed the back of his head as he smiled sheepishly. "I broke it before I left Wales."

"I…see." The orange-haired girl only nodded as she herself couldn't understand what kind of teenager doesn't have a phone. _Then if what Yue says is true then he's probably from an old-fashioned organization…maybe some old group that Negi's been talking about…come to think of it, he said they didn't use modern stuff either…But if he did break it--_

"Um…Kagurazaka-san?"

"Huh? What?"

"What was your last question?"

"Oh…right." Asuna sighed. _Might as well get this over with._ "Can I look around your desk? And your bag if you have one?"

"I guess. I have nothing to hide from you if that's what you're thinking." Touma shrugged, standing and taking a step aside to give the girl access to his desk.

Once again, Asuna rummaged through her teacher's stuff, her cheeks heating up as the faculty, even Takahata, gave her strange looks. She was practically dying from embarrassment as she searched through each drawer, only hearing her teacher's voice as he tried explaining what was going on. _I guess he's dying from embarrassment too. You don't get a student who wants to rummage through your stuff everyday after all._

She then found a backpack under the desk, and began searching through it as well. After five minutes of poking her head into the said bag, she closed the zipper, stood up, said a quick goodbye to Touma as she exited the faculty room, not bothering to say goodbye to the other teachers who probably thought of her as insane now.

_Well…he didn't have anything perverted with him. I can give him that._

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"So you say that the desk is completely empty?" Yue said, brows furrowing at the information she was given.

"Aside from the normal papers, nothing out of the ordinary." Asuna replied, frowning. "I checked his backpack too. No age-changing pills. His pockets are to small too hold anything but something as big as a wallet so you can count out the fact that he had some in there, too."

"No 'teenage boy' books either?" Kazumi asked. _Looks like we've got quite a situation here._

"Porn? Nothing. As much as I hate to admit it, he's clean." The orange-haired girl crossed her arms. "Though we can't be sure of that. We haven't seen where he lives yet. Got any leads on that?"

"I asked Takahata-sensei that same question, but he only said he doesn't know yet." The red-haired girl scratched the back of her head.

"He doesn't know or Touma-kun doesn't know?" Haruna said, frowning as well. _Man, this sure is a lot of work._

"Asuna-chan, Kazumi-chan, Haruna-chan, Yue-chan, Sayo-chan. The patrol meeting will start now, please enter the Dean's office." Shizuna then suddenly appeared in front of the girls, obviously coming from the said office. "The other girls are there too, so please hurry up."

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"So, what is it today Eva-chan?" Asuna said as they entered the room, seeing Mana, Nodoka, Chachamaru, Kaede and Ku Fei. "Where did Konoka go after training?"

"She's in the infirmary with the old man." Evangeline, who was sitting on the Dean's desk, replied. "It seems there was some sort of accident with some of the Elementary Mage Apprentices."

Yue groaned. "I leave them for one day and they get in trouble…"

"Don't worry, brat. They said it was only a scratch from falling off a broom." The vampire waved it off. "You shouldn't have any doubt in your friend's abilities after all."

"But still…isn't it part of a teacher's job to worry about their student's also?"

"Awww…" Nodoka said as she wrapped her arms around Yue's neck. "You know Yuecchi, you're starting to act like Negi-kun."

"I was just worrying about my students." Yue then glared at Haruna. "Get Dark Nodoka off me. NOW."

"You're no fun Yuecchi." Both Dark Nodoka and Haruna said as the former disappeared, with the real Nodoka entering the Dean's office at the same moment. "But you have to admit, you are acting a lot like him these days."

"I'll have to agree with you on that one Paru-chan."

"Well, if that's the case, then I agree with Ayase-san."

The girls' eyes the widened, looking at each other as they realized that the voice didn't belong to any of them.

"Oh, right." Evangeline rolled her eyes. "I forgot we got a new one on patrol. I assume all of you brats know him since you were in class a while ago? Come out, boy."

"Good Afternoon." Touma greeted the girls, causing most of them to greet him back while Asuna frowned. The black-haired boy seemed to notice this, and he smiled uneasily. "I did say I was Negi-san and Anya-san's kohai…right?"

"I knew it." Yue mumbled.

"Whatever." Evangeline said, completely ignoring the tension that surrounded the girls the moment their teacher entered. "There are a few low-class entities that have entered the school premises. You ten will be divided into pairs to cover more ground."

The vampire smirked before flipping her hair and getting off the desk. She then made her way to the door. "Chachamaru, I'll leave it to you to announce the pairs."

"Yes, Master." The green-haired robot said, looking at a piece of paper. "Today's pairs will be: Nagase-san and Asakura-san."

"I'm looking forward to working with you Nagase-san." Kazumi winked.

"As do I, Asakura-dono." Kaede said as she wore her usual expression.

"Tatsumiya-san and Saotome-san."

"Let's do this, Tatsumiya-san!"

"Just don't get in my way again." Mana gave Haruna a serious look. "But if you do, I'll have to shoot you with a tranquilizer. So no worries."

"O-Okay." _No worries…for you. Those tranquilizers hurt…_

"Miyazaki-san and Ku Fei-san."

"Let's do our best, Nodoka!" Ku Fei gave the purple-haired girl a thumbs up as she winked.

"Yes!"

"Ayase-san and…" Chachamaru squinted. _It looks as though Master was in a hurry when she wrote this part…I knew she should've done it before she went sparring with Konoe-san._

_Me me me me me me me…_ Asuna said in her head, not noticing that Sayo was giving off more heat than usual and that her teacher had a blank expression. _I said I was gonna get payback for what happened a while ago._

"Ah. Sorry." _It seems Master rewrote it on another part of the paper._ "Ayase-san and Aisaka-san."

"Cooperation is the key in beating low-class demons so let's work together, okay Aisaka-san?" the blue-haired girl turned to Sayo, ignoring the mentally thrashing Asuna behind her. _Disaster avoided._

"R-right…"

"And Sakurai-sensei with Kagurazaka-san."

"It looks like it's just you and me again, huh, Kagurazaka-san?" The boy grinned, trying to ignore the aura Asuna was giving off.

_I HATE YOU FATE._

==ssalC fo yaD tsriF==

"There's some over there. Can you feel them, Kagurazaka-san?" Touma pointed to a group of trees near the Middle School building.

"A little." A frowning Asuna nodded, summoning her sword. _I can't believe this dude is actually a mage…And he's really underestimating me. _She then noticed a couple of demons on the rooftop. Seeing that as an excuse to get away from the boy, she summoned her sword as she turned her back on her teacher. "I'll just get the demons on the roof. You can handle the demons there right?"

"If that's what you want--"

"Right. See you."

"Just remember to meet up with me when you're done!" was the last thing she heard as she headed towards the building, causing Asuna to roll her eyes. _I just hope I never finish._

In less than a minute, the orange-haired girl arrived at the location of the demons, finding three of them. She frowned as she saw the talismans on their faces. _They've been summoned. And from the looks of things they were left to rot for the rest of their lives…_ She thought to herself as she saw the old pieces of paper. _Either that or somebody killed their master and forgot about them…Oh well, time to put them to rest._

Asuna jumped, dodging the charging demon that saw her, somersaulting as she landed on her feet, then headed for that same demon, slashing it and its talisman in half, resuming her fighting stance as the second, and third began moving towards her. She ducked as one of them decided to chop off her head with its claws, and then moved to the side as the other tried to do the same. She swung her sword upwards as she went back to her fighting stance, slicing the second demon effectively. The orange-haired girl then prepared to charge at the last one, but a stray beam of energy hit her before she took another step.

_Crap!!_ Asuna thought as she was practically knocked off the roof, throwing her sword, which hit and literally nailed the demon to the roof, killing it. _Now I don't have anything to hang on to…think, Asuna, think…Ah! Ki on one hand, Magic in the other, bring them togethe--_

The orange-haired girl was then caught, interrupting her completely. Asuna blinked. "…Eh?"

_Black. Wings._

"Asuna-san! Asuna-san!!" Touma said as he looked at the girl in his arms. "Are you all right?"

"Why are you--how--?" _Aside from that…why the hell do you have wings and why are you using my first name?!...Well this was a little complicated so I'll let it slide…FOR NOW._

"Well…remember what Ayase-san said about students? The same is true with friends…You're both, so it's double the worry, Asuna-san." The black-haired boy chuckled.

"Wait a minute!!" The orange-haired girl frowned as something popped in her head. "Just who the hell are you and what connection do you have with us?! And I don't mean us, I mean the Ala Alba!! You know Negi, and since you have black wings, you are a crow demon: the same as Setsuna-san!" Asuna's eyes widened. _Setsuna-san! He's an assassin sent to kill her…and he's gathering information about her--No, he's going to lure her here!!_ She angrily gripped his collar. "What kind of connection do you have with her?! I swear I'll kill you if you're from an enemy tribe of her tribe!!! You can't find anything about her here! We won't tell you any--"

"Calm down." The orange-haired girl stopped in her tracks, frozen by the cold glare she received from her teacher. "If you want to find out who I am, then keep quiet for a moment."

She glared at him. _So you really are an enemy. _

"Oh, and please take your hands off my collar and keep them to yourself."

_I'll deal with you when we're on the ground. _She thought to herself as she silently dismissed her artifact, getting ready to fight as they descended. She was then caught off guard as she suddenly lost her eyesight, being helped to a standing position and was then dragged by the hand. "WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME?!"

"Please keep quiet. I can silence you so fast that even Ayase-san won't be able to hear you. Take note that this is a request, Asuna-san. I promise I'll give you a chance at a fair fight once you are filled in."

She only glared at where she was facing. _Oh, yes. It is a fair fight when I can't see!!!_

They then walked in heavy silence, with Asuna thinking of how to beat this man once she is given that chance of a fair fight or during the moment she detects any offensive moves against her. _I'll use that new technique Albireo taught me the other day…then top it off with my artifact. If that won't work…maybe a combination of Eva-chan's and Takahata-sense--_ "Eh?" Asuna blinked. _This is…3-A._ "Why are we here?"

"The Dean gave me a copy of every key to every room in the school." Touma had his back turned to her, looking out the window that let the moonlight shine on the room. "Back to the topic. That friend of yours…Setsuna…san…was it? Asuna-san…she's done a lot of bad things."

_Like I'd believe you! Setsuna-san would never do anything that doesn't have a justice to it! _"Look…whoever you are, we, Setsuna-san's friends, are never going to abandon her!" She glared at his now normal back. "Just watch! When I spread the word, this whole school is going to be against you. Heck, even Japan's Magic Organizations!"

"Did you really think I'd get here without the Dean's approval? And, would Takahata-sensei even let me within an inch of you girls if he knew I was an enemy?" A frowning Touma then faced the orange-haired girl. "I am not your enemy, Asuna-san. Can't we please leave it at that?"

"No, we certainly can't!" Asuna raised her voice a little as she crossed her arms, anger pouring out of every pore. "What right do you have to say such things?!"

"Because of who I am." The boy said, his face wearing the same cold expression as before.

"Then tell me who you are so I can tell if I shouldn't kill you right here, right now!!"

His expression changed from cold to serious. "Are you sure about this?"

"Heck yeah I am!!"

"Then you leave me no choice." Touma said, emptying his pockets and taking off his vest, revealing a small blade, his wallet and a few other small things. "There. I am completely unarmed. Now, Asuna-san…"

"Please hug me."

Asuna blinked, almost summoning her artifact. "Excuse me?"

"H-Hug me." The boy looked away. "This is the only way you can find out, do you understand?"

"Are you serious?!" The orange-haired girl said incredulously. _You give me all this drama just because you wanted a hug?! Pervert!!!_

"Well…it doesn't need to be a hug…Just put your ear to my chest while your hands are on my back."

She groaned. "But the only way to do that is through a hug!!"

"So…you're not going to do it?"

_Wait! There was relief in his voice! So he doesn't want his identity to be revealed huh!! But if I hug this guy I'm probably going to be groped or something…Aargh, this is so confusing…_Asuna mentally sighed. "F-fine. But no groping…okay?"

"You have my word."

_Let's get this over with…_She then did everything mentioned as she frowned, reluctantly putting her hands on his back as she put her ear against his chest. _This is disgusting. Hey…an irregular heartbeat._

"Now, please close your eyes and don't move for a few seconds. Once this is over, then you can decide on whether you'll kill me or not."

She did what she was told, eventually ignoring everything as she listened to the strange heartbeat.

A few seconds after that, she heard Touma speak, in a weird tone.

"_You are Asuna Vesperina Theotanasia Entheofushia, better known as Asuna Kagurazaka. You may be dumb, but you're strong and brave and you always stand by your friends. You hate being called by your surname and are good at fighting. But, most of all, you are Negi Springfield's official partner."_

_

* * *

_

Note: (It seems I've been found out…) The same as with the last chapter, please don't spoil. Otherwise, keep reading. Everything will be clear next chapter. As always, feedback is welcome. Question: Would you like me to post a oneshot on the night before they left Wales (a.k.a. The moment between Nodoka and Setsuna) ?

**Character Profiles: Batch 2**

Asuna Kagurazaka-age 16;

-Her inheritance is paying for her tuition fee now, so she doesn't have to get up early in the morning.

-Currently training under Takahata, Albireo and Evangeline.

-The strongest _Ministra _in the school, but her magic skills still need a little work.

-Nowadays, she's extremely sensitive about her height.

Chachamaru Karakuri-age 15(on student database)/ 4(years since activation);

-Like the rest of the Ala Alba, she is a part of the Mahora Academy Defense group. Being second-in-command, she organizes the patrol shifts and the patrol groups/pairs.

-She keeps a database of every intruder that has ever crossed Mahora Academy borders, for future reference and Satomi's research.

-Nowadays, she is always seen with either Satomi, Evangeline, Chisame or a member of the Ala Alba.

-She and Sayo have been going to the lab more frequently recently.

Konoka Konoe- Age 15; Class 1-A.

-She is currently honing her skills as a healer and as a mage, under the guidance of Konoemon Konoe and Evangeline A.K. McDowell respectively.

-Unlike the Ala Alba members, she is now a healer at the school infirmary instead of begin in the defense group.

-She is usually excused for her classes whenever she has important training, and is smart enough to catch up and be one of the top students of Class 1-A.

-She was the one who insisted that 3-A be put in the same class in High School, and was also the one who insisted that they leave slot number 15 open.

-She's still cheery, but there's something about her that doesn't make her look truly happy.

Evangeline A.K. McDowell- age unknown;

-Leader of the Mahora Academy Defense Group, she is the one who chooses which members get excused from classes to patrol.

-Often teaches any member of the Ala Alba who is willing enough, for a price that is.

-Now a high school student, her 'growth' had made her look more beautiful, and taller than usual.

-She is too lazy to do her own homework, so she asks Konoka to 'help out' in exchange for her training.


	4. Moment of Partial Truth

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima

**Restart**

**Chapter 4: **Moment of Partial Truth

_Soft…_

_Wait…Soft?!_ Asuna realized what she was just thinking. A few seconds ago, she had agreed to hug her male teacher. Now, having no idea on what had happened, she found herself noticing that his chest area was much softer than usual.

Before her head could process the information, she immediately looked up, finding a girl in place of the teacher she had despised. Her hair was now white, obviously longer than it had previously been. Her eyes were a fierce shade of crimson, a sight that was hard not to gaze at. And, as Asuna gaped at the transformation, the white-haired girl only smiled. "Long time no see, eh, Asuna-san?"

The girl's eyebrows went up for a little bit as she didn't get a response from the orange-haired girl. She then chuckled. "Oh…wait. Could this make me more familiar?" The white-haired girl then took a portion of her hair and gathered it at her left; making sure that she left some on the right side.

_White hair and red eyes…Th-that hairstyle…that smile…! _Asuna thought to herself as she was finally able to derive a conclusion. Her eyes widened at her deduction. _OH. MY. GOD. _"SETSUNA-SAN?!"

"I'm glad you still remember me." Setsuna smiled, letting go of her friend but she was immediately pulled back into a tighter hug.

"Who wouldn't?! Do you have any idea on how much we missed you?!" Her eyes then widened, remembering the letter from Negi:

"_Well, everything is fine now and we're going to visit Setsuna-san at the hospital in the Magic World. Don't worry, it's nothing major. Her sister said something about a sparring accident and they needed a specialist to look at half-demon injuries because something might happen if they treat her with demon medicine. She's going to be stuck there for a week so we decided to visit!"_

"Wait, how do I know that you aren't the enemy in an illusion spell?" She looked at Setsuna suspiciously, trying to find a flaw in the other's so-called disguise.

"No, no…you've got it all backwards Asuna-san. Your Magic Cancel Ability should make sure of that." Setsuna explained. "Remember when I didn't catch you in homeroom? I was afraid that your ability might dispel the illusion in front of the whole class, so I dodged right then and there…I'm sorry for that, Asuna-san."

"G-geez! You should've told me sooner!" Asuna crossed her arms. "Now I feel bad for getting so angry with you!"

"It's all right. Oh…and I'm sorry for making you hug me as well." She smiled uneasily as she scratched her now reddening cheek. "It takes a lot of my power to dispel the illusion…and those demons we just fought made me run out of demon magic. So the only way I could think of revealing this to you was by using your Magic Cancel…and our bodies really need to be that close for it to work…"

"I-I see." The orange-haired girl said uneasily. "So Negi's letter was a fake?"

"Well, sort of. He was about to send that to you three months ago but he got assigned another 'rushed' mission." Setsuna chuckled as she then took out something from her pocket. "Which reminds me, here's the real one." She winked. "Think of it as my way of paying you back for what you did for me last year."

The orange-haired girl took the letter and placed it in her own pocket. She then grinned. "That can wait for later. Right now, you have to tell me what happened! You passed right? That's why you're back?"

"That'll have to wait for later Asuna-san." Setsuna then wore a serious expression. "Two girls are coming right now."

"Eh?" Asuna blinked. She then heard footsteps, causing her to bolt to the door and close it. "Quick, put on your disguise while I hold the door!"

"Huh…? Eh…OK."

"Asuna!" Haruna immediately went in the room, finding her male teacher and the said girl inside, and were now looking at her curiously. "Tatsumiya-san and I sensed demon magic here! Are you all right?"

"Y-yeah we are!" Asuna said as she put a hand behind her head. "No demons here. All gone."

"Oh, really?" Mana raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you two doing in here then?"

"…Some demons went in this room!" Asuna said suddenly.

"Hmm…that's strange…if they did go into this room then the door should at least have a scratch or something…" Haruna examined the door, tapping her chin as she thought of a rational explanation to that.

"That's because um…" Asuna looked at the now raven-haired boy beside her. _Setsuna-san, help!_

Touma, or Setsuna, saw the orange-haired girl and nodded. "A-actually I had planned on luring the demons here where I set up a trap…They did come here as expected but I was afraid that Asuna-san might get caught in the trap as well, so I performed a high-level spell that disabled both the trap and the demons…"

"Whoa! As expected of Negi-kun's kohai!" Haruna grinned. "I certainly didn't expect that we'd have a demon magic user in this academy except for Eva-chan, but it seems that it's working out for us, right, Tatsumiya-san?" The girl looked at her patrol partner only to find her with a look that didn't give her an impression of 'happy'. "T-tatsumiya-san?"

Mana glared at the people in front of her, suddenly pulling out her gun and aiming it at the boy. Asuna's and Haruna's eyes widened while their teacher didn't move an inch. "Just what do you think you're doin--"

"Die."

_BANG._

_Setsuna-sa--Oh, it missed!_ Asuna immediately looked to where the bullet was headed, seeing that a demon was right outside the window. It was hit dead center of its talisman, dying without a fight. Asuna sighed. _Whew…for a second there I thought Tatsumiya-san was actually gonna…_She then looked Touma, wondering why exactly he remained relaxed even if Mana had pointed a gun at him. _Well, Setsuna-san was with the Security Department with Tatsumiya-san long before the Mahora Defense Group, which was formed a few months ago…_

"Let's go." Mana turned around and exited the room, leaving a still shocked Haruna with Asuna and Touma.

"Saotome if you don't get here right now, I am going to shoot you with a tranquilizer and drag you all the way to Evangeline-san."

"Y-yes ma'am!" The girl said as she went out of the room, immediately regaining her senses the moment she heard 'tranquilizer'.

Asuna sighed in relief as she scratched her head. She then turned to her friend. "Well, that was a close one. I don't sense any more demons that seem to pose a threat. How about we get out of here?" She then proceeded to go out of the room, only to stop by the door when Setsuna spoke up. "Um…Asuna-san?"

"Hm?" The said girl turned around, facing her raven-haired friend. "What is it Setsuna-san?"

"Why didn't you…" Setsuna scratched her cheek. "Why didn't you tell Saotome-san and the others who I am?"

The orange-haired girl only blinked, and then put her hand on her waist. "You didn't want them to find out, didn't you? Setsuna-san, it's obvious that you want to keep your identity a secret. Plus, I'm your friend, remember? Friends don't tell their friend's secrets."

"I…I guess so." Setsuna smiled. "You know…it really feels good to be back."

"Glad to know that." Asuna grinned, leading the way out of the room as Setsuna locked the classroom door and proceeded to follow the orange-haired girl to the exit. "You know, Setsuna-san, I really think you've gone overboard with this secrecy stuff."

Setsuna only chuckled, adjusting her school tie as she put a hand inside her pants pocket, the night wind gently blowing against their faces. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yeah…" Asuna laughed back as they neared the building where they meet for patrols. "I mean…making yourself look like you're from an enemy tribe out looking for you…you even made yourself look like a bad guy! You sure can string up some believable lies!"

"Yeah…Lies!!!" Setsuna laughed, putting the other hand in her pocket as she pulled out the first one to open the door, going in first while Asuna noticed that the laugh was a little louder than usual.

_Strange…if this were the Setsuna-san from a year ago she'd have blushed and be all modest about it…_Asuna thought as her face slowly went from a curious expression to a frowning one.

"Oi, Asuna, let's get inside before we freeze-aru yo." The orange-haired girl felt a hand on her back, seeing a tired but grinning Ku Fei with Nodoka beside her. "R-right."

"Is something the matter, Kagurazaka-san?" Nodoka tilted her head a little, her face wearing a concerned expression.

Asuna only smiled uneasily. "No…it's nothing!"

_Nothing yet._

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"…and so all of the entities have been eliminated without any…serious damage to the school." Evangeline smirked at Asuna and Touma, crossing her arms as she did so. "Aside from the strange voices and sounds Saotome and Tatsumiya found in a middle school classroom, everything is in order."

The others followed Evangeline's gaze curiously, causing Asuna to immediately turn red as memories of earlier returned to her. "Wh-what's that supposed to mean, Eva-chan?!"

"Oh, I don't know…" The blonde vampire examined the nails on her right hand, her voice in a very suggestive tone. "Maybe, something pertaining to a forbidden relationship between a student and a teacher that is not along the lines of hatred?"

"No way! I hate this guy!" Asuna said suddenly, earning a strange look from Touma. _Wait…I just said I hated Setsuna-san…_ "Well…I did, but…he's OK once you get to know him better."

Haruna snickered. "Know Touma-kun better in terms of what?"

"Now, now, I assure everyone that all that happened was demon and restoration magic." The raven-haired teacher immediately butted in, his face free of any blush much to Asuna's surprise. "You did sense such things, didn't you, McDowell-san?"

Evangeline frowned. "Meh, you English men are no fun at all…"

"I'm pretty sure I'm Japanese, McDowell-san, so I'm pretty sure you won't get bored with me." Touma smiled, unable to realize that what he said had another, more perverted meaning, which caused blushes among the other girls, including the blonde vampire herself (though hers wasn't too obvious).

Asuna was taken aback. _Eva-chan got beaten at teasing?! By Setsuna-san?! Impossible! And Setsuna-san isn't even blushing!! Just what kind of training did they put her through?!_

Evangeline laughed as she regained her composure. "Touché, boy. I'll let this pass for today. But rest assured that you won't win against me next time. Patrol session dismissed!"

The rest of the girls only nodded as they made their way out of the building, with a few stretching their arms as the others yawned. Asuna and Touma followed suit, with Touma, being used to this, doing neither and Asuna doing both.

"Boy."

"Hm?" Touma turned around, causing Asuna to do the same.

"I don't like the sound of McDowell-san. Evangeline will suffice. I'd prefer Master but you need to look like you're my superior." The fifteen-year-old-looking blonde smirked as she flipped her hair. "As for you. Baka Red, stay here. I have something to discuss with you."

"Understood Evangeline-san. I'll leave you two alone then." Touma only smiled and nodded, turning around as he headed for the exit.

Once the two were left alone in the room, Evangeline closed her eyes. _Good. She's a few steps away from here._ The blonde opened them, green orbs resting on Asuna.

Asuna raised an eyebrow. "What is it, Eva-chan?"

"What you just witnessed was the power of the Demon pheromone." The blonde explained. "Sakurazaki has just started undergoing Demon puberty, that's the reason for the drastic change in height as well as her skill for demon magic."

Asuna's jaw dropped. "You knew it was Setsuna-san?"

Evangeline scoffed. "You honestly thought I didn't know? Don't compare my current magic to those of the other brats. It's still centuries before you can consider them half as powerful as I was when I looked like this."

The blonde didn't wait for an answer as she continued her semi-lecture. "Unfortunately, Demon puberty has a few side effects. It messes up the demon's emotions, sometimes to the point where the adolescent is extremely dense, hence the reason as to why she wasn't blushing like mad as she would usually do." She frowned. "Consider us lucky, since she's only a half-demon, we don't have to put any restraints, cages or magical barriers around her or the room she is staying in like they would normally do when teenage demons undergo puberty."

"That explains a lot, I guess." Asuna nodded, her look suddenly turning curious. "But why are you telling me all this?"

Evangeline suddenly turned serious. "You are to guard her."

"I…what?"

"Don't ask me. I was supposed to tell this to whoever finds out about Sakurazaki." The blonde crossed her arms. "Demons are very unstable at this age, half-demons even more so because of the clashing bloodlines. Both are very prone to emotional breakdowns and fits of rage, so you'll have to keep Sakurazaki in check just in case she gets either. Knowing her, she'd usually be capable to restrain herself, but from what the old man's told me, the girl is already an emotional wreck, and is only a few steps away from her breaking point."

"What happened?" The orange-haired girl asked curiously, worried about her friend. _Was the test really that hard? …At least she passed it._

"That is for you to find out for yourself." Evangeline said as she started walking towards the exit. "This is a very controversial matter, Asuna. Once you hear it straight from the crow's mouth, do only one thing: Let her decide for herself. You can try to convince her, but don't force her if you don't want to be killed by the hand of your friend."

The blonde vampire left Asuna alone in the building, as well as in a big pot of disorganized information.

_This is like solving a jigsaw puzzle with 100,000 pieces…_

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

A few minutes later, after Asuna had taken it all in, she decided to leave the building. _So, Setsuna-san is undergoing puberty again? But wouldn't that clash with the normal, human puberty? After all, she's still only fiftee--_

"Finished with your talk, Asuna-san?" Asuna jumped as she heard Setsuna's fake, deep voice behind her ear, immediately seeing Setsuna in 'boy-teacher form', so to speak.

"G-geez, Setsuna-san. Don't scare me like that." The orange-haired girl grinned as she hit her friend on the back really hard, amused that she could still knock the wind out of anyone by doing that. The two of them then started walking the moonlit path to the dorms. Asuna noticed that the air had somehow gotten awkward between them, and thought of a way on how to start a conversation with her old friend. "So…um…Eva-chan knows about your identity?"

"Yes." Setsuna nodded, the gentle wind only able to play with the bangs on the right side of her head. She took out the small blade from her vest pocket as she fished out her wallet from her pants pocket. She then handed the picture of Anya and Negi to the other girl as she spun her blade with her right hand. "They took that picture when we were out for a walk. I was in the hospital a few months ago, and the nurses allowed me to get a breath of fresh air, and Negi-san and Anya-san decided to show me a few…secluded spots in the Magic World."

"Oh…so you three didn't get ambushed by the paparazzi or some random fanclub? At all?" Asuna turned to Setsuna, a worried look on her face. "Honya-chan and Paru got ambushed when they were picking up Yue last week. It was a good thing Yue and her friends are practically part of the authorities or who knows what could have happened."

Setsuna chuckled. "Yes. I figured that out when they were at the gateport in disguises."

"…Eh?" _Wait…If Setsuna-san is Touma…then she was the one Negi and Anya-chan escorted…then…_Asuna then started to equate all the facts she currently knew about 'Touma' to 'Setsuna'.

Her mind came up with practically a hundred questions as she barraged her old friend with questions. "How did Takahata-sensei know you when you were little?! You were the one who saved Honya-chan and gave her that handkerchief?! And you asked her to a date?! What about Anya-chan?! And Kono--" Asuna gasped at the new question, immediately gripping the taller teen by the arms. "Konoka!! Does she know you're here?! Have you met with her?!"

"Erm…First of all Takahata-sensei was part of the Ala Rubra, and was with Nagi-san when he and Eishun-sama found me. And, yes, I was the one who helped Nodoka-san at the gateport. I didn't have any expectations of seeing her again though, since my sister just said that she was sending me to the Old World." Setsuna adjusted her tie as she looked at Asuna with a confused expression. "And um…what date? What does Anya-san have to do with this and um…No. I haven't met with Ojou…Kono-chan. So far the only ones that know of my return are you, the Dean, Takahata-sensei, Evangeline-san, Negi-san and Anya-san."

_Ah…When Eva-chan says dense she wasn't kidding. _ Asuna frowned a little, knowing that Konoka will not be happy with this if she ever found out. "Oh. So, what brings you here?"

Setsuna scratched her cheek. "My sister sent me to the Old World to unwind…so to speak. So she had Negi-san and Anya-san escort me, but I had no idea that I'd actually be staying here in Mahora…"

"I see…" Asuna tapped her chin as she then had another thought, causing her to grin. "Of course! The signs were there all along!"

"Excuse me?"

"I mean, you're the only decent person I know who addresses me as Asuna-san, doesn't have a phone, knows about Magic and isn't into porn!! Why didn't I think of that before?!" The orange-haired girl grinned. She then had another thought. "By the way Setsuna-san, where are you staying? Asakura will probably be doing more research on that, she might hound you out."

Setsuna smiled as she pointed towards the dense expanse of trees. "By the mountain…"

"What?" Asuna blinked.

"Well, not by the mountain…I'll probably be living on it." Setsuna explained. "A male, not to mention teenage, teacher living in a girl's dorm would be improper, I don't want to bother Takahata-sensei, and neither do I want to bother the Dean about where I should stay."

"Geez, Setsuna-san, you haven't changed at all." Asuna sighed. _Well, at least we've got something that hasn't changed in her attitude. _"How about you stay at our place? That way you won't be camping with the strange animals there."

"Oh, no." The raven-haired demon shook her head. "As I said, living in the girl's dorm is improper--"

Asuna ignored her friend and grabbed her necktie, dragging her towards another direction before Setsuna could make a break for the mountain. "Let's ask him then."

_Hey, if I have to keep control of Setsuna-san, I'd at least have to be close to her at every possible time._

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

Konoemon Konoe always sleeps late. Being the Dean of Mahora Academy, he always has meetings during the day, and an enormous pile of paperwork to get back to during the night. Not to mention the patrol reports that Evangeline keeps sending him, he doesn't know if the blonde vampire made them for the sake of keeping tabs on the security's defenses or just to annoy the heck out of him. Probably both, to his dismay.

Right now, Konoka's grandfather was looking at a contract that he had received a month ago, its contents still fresh from his memory. It was a rather troublesome contract, one which both parties weren't sure that would succeed. The said agreement was actually more of a favor from an old friend (of both his and his family), and Konoemon was actually hoping that there would be…benefits for his side too. But alas, only time could tell about the results of this affair, and the people involved in it as well.

He sensed two presences approaching the door, already knowing who the two of them were. He chuckled to himself, amused that his skills were still that sharp even after all these years. "Come in." He pretended to be surprised as he raised his eyebrows and stroked his beard. "Ah. Asuna-kun, Setsuna-kun. Good Evening."

"G-good Evening, Headmaster." Setsuna bowed, in the same manner from when she was still a student in the Academy. Asuna was next to greet the old man, but was less formal about it.

"Now, now, Setsuna-kun, no need for such formalities." Konoemon chuckled, Setsuna had always been a good source for amusement for the old man, reminding him of himself and Eishun when they were younger. "You are a teacher now, and you're still considered to be like family even if you have already found yours."

"B-but sir…" The teenager tried to protest, but Konoemon only waved it off, much like what he had done to Eishun and what his older superiors had done to him. "Enough of that, I take it that you two have something to tell me?"

"Erm--" The raven-haired demon was then cut off by Asuna, who seized control of their side of the conversation. "Actually, I was wondering if Setsuna-san could stay at our dorm room?"

Konoemon stroked his beard, considering the many advantages and disadvantages that it would have to offer. On one side, Asuna, whom Konoemon assumed was the one that found out about Setsuna's identity, would be very close by whenever Setsuna would how signs of instability. On another would be putting her through more emotional risk by having the other, boisterous girls around her, though there would also be the chance that Setsuna would feel more comfortable with them around her, having lived with the other girls for almost three years in the same dorm.

He considered a few more possibilities, but there was one that got him to decide. Chuckling to himself, Konoemon nodded as he smiled. "That would be very generous of you, Asuna-kun. Please take good care of Setsuna-kun and make sure that there will be no…strange…events that will concern a forbidden relationship involving the 'male' teacher and you or my granddaughter."

Setsuna only sighed in defeat as Asuna grinned widely. "Yes!! Thank you!"

"Off you two go then. You still have to pick up your things from Shizuna, Setsuna-kun." Konemon then stopped stroking his beard. "Ah. That reminds me. Setsuna-kun?"

"Sir?" The raven-haired demon turned to face the old man, hoping against hope that he would somehow change his mind.

"How would you like…your old job back?" He began. "There are still quite a lot of enemies after Konoka recently, and I have yet to find someone who could do it alone as effectively as you could."

"I…" Setsuna's eyes were wide, the girl apparently unable to decide.

Asuna was about to say yes for her, but Evangeline's words echoed in her head. _Let her decide for herself. You can try to convince her, but don't force her if you don't want to be killed by the hand of your friend. _

And we can all remember how the Setsuna Asuna remembers can be practically disabled at the mere mention of Konoka's name.

The orange-haired girl closed her eyes. _It's her life. She and Konoka would be roommates regardless, so they'd still be close to each other. I'll just have to try and scheme on how to get them closer. But that would be hard because Konoka doesn't actually know that Touma is actually--_

"I accept." Asuna gaped as she looked at Setsuna with disbelief. Setsuna, oblivious to how Asuna was looking at her, looked straight at the Dean with a look of pure determination and certainty. "If it is for Konoka-ojousama's safety, I'll gladly put my life on the line. But on one condition: I will have to protect her from the shadows. Will that be acceptable sir?"

"More that acceptable, Setsuna-kun. Thank you." Konoemon said as he straightened out a few papers. "Now, you two get going. It's already this late and I don't want students and faculty loitering around the grounds at this hour."

He watched the two say their unique goodbyes and Konoemon was smiling as the girls were almost out of sight.

_I'm counting on you, Asuna-kun._

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"Now are you sure you could handle that all by yourself?" The orange-haired girl said skeptically, trying to look at the face that was covered by the one rather large bag that they had gotten from Shizuna a while ago. They had just stopped by to pick up the rest of Setsua's luggage, and, after a strange incident involving the older woman and _Setsuna-san's damn_ demon pheromone, they found themselves walking side by side to the dorms with Setsuna carrying all her luggage.

"It's just weapons Asuna-san." Asuna heard Setsuna chuckle in her fake voice as she saw the bag moving a little.

_J-just what kinds of weapons are in there?!_

"Don't worry, that was just a bug. I'll probably set it free later if it's not dead."

"B-bug?!" The orange-haired girl said incredulously. "A moving weapon I can understand, but a big, moving bug that big?!"

"I can probably change it to normal size if you want." Setsuna moved so that her head was now visible. "You see, one of my sisters is rather fond of growing and shrinking things. You could say that this was a way for her to get me to practice that kind of demon magic."

"I…I see." Asuna said, then noticing amusement in Setsuna's tone. _Hmm…maybe it'll loosen her up a bit? I don't want to have Konoka walk in with Setsuna-san rampaging in our dorm room. _"What are they like? Your sisters, I mean. The only one I got to see was that little girl that looked just like you."

"Ah. That was Akie." Setsuna replied, looking up the sky as Asuna noticed a smile in the other girl's expression. "She loves flying. At one time she flew around the forest so fast she came home complaining about the insects on her face."

Asuna laughed, imagining a little Setsuna doing just that. "Well, isn't she cute…Must be nice to have a little sister, huh, Setsuna-_oneesan_?" She joked, grinning as the World Tree now in view. She signaled to the other girl and earned a nod, causing both of them to head towards the tree and for the orange-haired girl to sit down.

"Little sister_s._" The raven-haired teen corrected as she put down the bag and sat down beside Asuna. She then chuckled. "But yes, you could say that…"

"Oh?" Asuna blinked. "Just how many siblings do you have?"

"I have two little sisters and twelve older ones." Asuna gaped as she saw a slight blush on Setsuna's boyish face. "That'd make us fifteen all in all…"

"F-Fifteen?!" _J-just how many--What kind of person would--What the heck?!_

"I-It's a demon tradition…" Setsuna held up her hands. "Just in case there will be…um…problems…"

"So that'd mean…you…" Asuna blushed as a mental image of Setsuna in male form and someone who looked a lot like Konoka naked (_and not to mention making out--ARGH!! Konoka's hormones are staring to affect mine!!_) popped in her head. She immediately shook out the image as she then saw the other girl tense up. _Ah! Not good! Change of topic! Change of topic!!!_ She laughed shakily as she shook her head. "So umm…Thirteenth huh?"

"Ah…yes." Setsuna nodded. "But in our culture it's said that a thirteenth child would bring luck in any village…My eldest sister used that fact against the elders so that I could come back to the tribe."

_And…clear. _Asuna sighed mentally. _Now we're back to the sisters topic…_ "So um…anyone of them remind you of anyone of us?"

Setsuna tapped her chin. "Well…Hikari-oneesama does remind me of Yukihiro-san."

"Hikari huh?" Asuna looked up at the sky, only to look back at Setsuna a second later. "Don't tell me she's a shotacon too!"

"Oh…no." The other girl chuckled, but then wore a puzzled expression. "But she has been paying too much attention to Akie lately…"

_Oh wow. An older sister with a 'little sister complex'. You sure have a unique family Setsuna-san. _

"How is Yukihiro-san, Asuna-san?" The orange-haired girl heard from Setsuna. Asuna only waved it off, smiling wryly as she did. "Oh, same old, same old. She's still chasing the little kids."

"And you two are obviously still on the best of terms." Setsuna chuckled as Asuna glared at her.

"We are not!" Asuna said angrily, but she didn't receive a reply since the other girl stood up suddenly. "Setsuna-san?"

Without replying, Setsuna headed for the other side of the tree. Asuna followed suit, and saw that it was Satomi, testing out some sort of robot. Her classmate looked awfully excited, and was about to press a button that Asuna assumed was going to start the experiment, had not the new teacher arrived and stopped her.

"Hakase-san! Wait!"

Satomi looked up, seeing the two teens. "Touma-sensei, Kagurazaka-san! What brings you two here?"

"Don't ask me." Asuna rubbed the back of her head, seeing Touma walk over to the robot and started fiddling with its rear. "Erm…Touma? What are you doing?"

"You forgot to close this tank, Hakase-san." The raven-haired teacher smiled as he showed his pupil before screwing it on tightly himself.

"Ah! I forgot about that extra fuel tank!" The teenage scientist sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "If you hadn't noticed it, this experiment could have gone way worse than I was expecting it to be. Thank you sensei!"

"It was no problem. I hope the results will be better than you expect Hakase-san." Touma smiled as he signaled Asuna that they should leave before it starts. The orange-haired girl nodded before running around to the other side and getting the bags.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"Let me guess, you have a sister who always forgets to do that before starting an experiment?" Asuna asked, her face hidden by the big bag this time. They were now on the path to the dorms, and the sound of Satomi's experiment was starting to fade away.

"Not exactly." Setsuna scratched her cheek. "She um…likes tinkering with Old World gadgets. So we get all sorts of explosions whenever she gets in the mood." She then attempted to take the bag. "Now if I can have that bag…"

"No way!" Asuna turned her head, showing Setsuna her tongue. "I'm carrying this for you!"

Setsuna chuckled. "Now that's who you remind me of!"

"Excuse me?"

"Mitsu. She's three years older than Akie." Setsuna then tapped her chin. "Though I have to admit, she's only as tall as Anya-san was last year."

Asuna snickered. "Well, let's hope she doesn't wind up like her older sister who didn't even reach five feet when she was 14."

"Well, I'd rather have her have that height and shoot up when she reaches puberty, unlike some highness I know that still hasn't grown." Setsuna shot back. "And for your information I am well past five feet _now_."

Asuna frowned. "Mou!! When did you start getting better at comebacks?! I miss the old Setsuna-san! At least all I could do to win back then was mention Konoka's name!"

Setsuna only laughed as Asuna fumed, angrily hefting the backpack as they entered the dorms.

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"And now we're back home." Asuna said as she walked inside as Setsuna held the door for her. She put down the bag in the living room and stretched her tired arms. "Man, that was one of the longest school days I've ever got through…"

"Now, now Asuna-san. We still have class tomorrow." Setsuna smiled. "And I don't want any of you girls to fall asleep during my class."

"Yes…_sir_." Asuna teased as she headed to the kitchen wearing a smirk.

The smirk was lost when she found nothing on the table. "Crap, I forgot Konoka won't be coming back until Friday!"

"Setsuna-san!" Asuna called, making Setsuna look up from the unpacked pile she was sorting. "Hm?"

"Erm…there's no food." The orange-haired girl paused. "Can you cook? Unless you want me t--"

"That won't be necessary, Asuna-san." Setsuna immediately grabbed the bag and looked in it. She then grabbed something that looked like a Tic Tac container. "One of these will serve for tonight."

The other girl gaped. "Are you serious?"

"Of course I am." The raven-haired girl raised an eyebrow. She then thought of how she looked right now. "Ah. No, this isn't candy Asuna-san. My sister prepared some meals, put them in capsules and they shrunk it so they could fit in these containers."

"Oh…" Asuna nodded. She then raised an eyebrow. "Wait. You're not gonna make me try something strange…are you?"

Setsuna only smiled. "I'm afraid that's the only adjective that can describe Demon Food. Now, which color do you want?"

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

"This seriously emits death." Asuna said as she stared at her plate, which had what looked like an upside down ant the size of a chicken. _Correction. A freaking rainbow ant the size of a chicken._ _And Setsuna-san says this is a VEGETABLE. "_What on earth do you call this…thing?_"_

Setsuna stopped eating and looked up from her plate. _At least she seems to be enjoying her ant. _"A pea."

Asuna gaped. "P-pea? You call this freaking huge thing a pea?! Just how big are your ant--I mean _vegetables?_"

"Well that depends on the vegetable." Setsuna paused before tearing off the 'pea's' yellow leg and put it in her mouth much to Asuna's dismay. "You should start eating yours too. Its parts taste differently after cooking but they'll taste awful if you don't touch it for a number of minutes."

"What does the leg taste like?" Asuna asked suspiciously, eyeing the one on her plate as she touched it experimentally with a fork.

Setsuna tapped her chin. "Milk."

"You're kidding me." She said. With a frown, Asuna cut the leg off, and bit down on the tip. Her eyes went wide. "Oh. Wow. What do the other parts taste like?"

Once again, Setsuna stopped herself from taking a bite out of the now cut body. She smiled. "Why don't you find out for yourself?"

Asuna did just that, finding the red head tasting like orange juice, some blue parts tasting like beef, and the green parts tasting like fries. "This is absurd."

"But you like it." Setsuna teased, already finished with her food.

Asuna frowned, but mumbled a soft "Yeah…" after the other girl stared at her for a few more seconds.

"Well…you better prepare your tongue for breakfast tomorrow Asuna-san." Setsuna smiled. "The pea so far has the nearest taste with the food from here."

Asuna sighed, preparing herself for trouble next morning as she finished her strange meal. _Well, at least this will help me get taller. Setsuna-san says she's been eating peas since she got there._

==hturT laitraP fo tnemoM==

It was in the middle of the night when Asuna woke up, sitting up as she heard whimpers. She got down the ladder groggily, thinking that it was Konoka (_I'm praying to whatever god out there that she isn't doing it_) in her sleep again or a cat that got lost in the dorms. Remembering that her roommate wasn't there, she began her search, finding no strange light or anything pertaining to magic. She then inspected the other parts of their room, but it seemed that whatever was there had left when she was inspecting Negi's old study. She was about to climb down the ladder when they started up again.

"Hi…No…I didn't!!"

The orange-girl raised an eyebrow, climbing up and heading for the futon Setsuna was sleeping in. She curiously examined her friend, who was thrashing about, her troubled expression visible even in the dark. _What's this?_

"…it…fault…didn't know…"

She reverted completely to her female form as she started crying. Asuna's eyes widened as she watched the girl that seemed fine a few hours ago now weep, obviously having some sort of nightmare. Deciding to do something about it, the orange-haired girl began shaking the half-demon on the futon. "Setsuna-san…wake up!"

"No…I…mean…Hi…Hi-hi…"

"Setsuna-san!" Asuna frowned as she applied more force. _This is harder than distracting Yue when she's casting a spell!_

"I DIDN'T DO IT!!!" Setsuna yelled as she sat up. Her crimson eyes were now wide. Her breathing was uneven. Asuna saw relief on her face for a moment but then disappointment on the next. The white-haired girl then noticed that Asuna was right next to her. "Oh…Asuna-san…Why are you up at this time?"

_You woke me up, dummy. _The orange-haired girl resisted the urge to say what she was thinking, putting on a worried expression as she looked at the other girl."Don't mind that. Are you OK?"

"Oh…this?" Setsuna pointed to her face, causing Asuna to nod. She smiled. "It's nothing. Just a nightmare…nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. A demon's nightmares are usually so scary one might even think twice before trying to remember it." The white-haired girl smiled as she wiped her face. "Let's get back to sleep Asuna-san. You've got a class to attend while I have a class to teach tomorrow."

Asuna frowned, but did as she was told after saying good night. She climbed down the ladder and headed to her own bed, climbing up once again before lying down.

Five minutes later, the said 'nightmare' had begun once more, leaving Asuna to sit up and frown at the dark area where Setsuna was sleeping. _I don't think you can have nightmares that continue themselves…_

_You can't have a repeat of the nightmare on the same night either. _She thought as she heard the other girl mumble the exact same words she said earlier.

_It's one damn mystery after another…_Asuna scratched her head before lying down, her last thought being: _What happened to you there? Setsuna-san…_

Note: Congratulations to everyone who figured this out before this chapter. And for future chapters, Touma is now equal to Setsuna, so please don't get confused when I mention both of them in the same paragraph/scene.

**Character Profiles: Batch 3**

Setsuna Sakurazaki- age 15;

-Former Middle School Student at Mahora Academy

-Current Heir to the Sakurazaki Uzoku Tribe in the Demon World

-Ever since her stay in the Demon World, she now has an extremely weird sense of taste

-Is now extremely dense, as well as being emotionally unstable

-Her change in attitude can be blamed on her experiences in the Demon World, as well as puberty

-Studied up a bit on basic magic for a few days with Negi and Anya as her teachers in the Magic World

-Now taller than Asuna, the drastic change in height can be blamed on her human and demon puberty

-Having mastered swordsmanship, she is now concentrating on improving her demon magic

-After a year of absence she now returns to Mahora Academy as a teacher of high school class 1-A under the disguise of Touma Sakurai, reasons are still unknown as to why she was sent here.


	5. What?

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Mahou Sensei Negima

**Restart**

**Chapter 5: **What?

"_Long time no see Asuna-san!" _ Negi rubbed the back of his head. _"Sorry about not writing to you…I was really ran ragged with all of these missions and assignments. Don't even get me started with the reports and paperwork…" _He laughed a little. _"Maybe this is what high school feels like? Oh…bad joke, sorry."_ He grinned. _"But hey, everything is fine here! There were a few strays here and there but they were nothing to worry about."_

Asuna listened to Negi talk about one of the minor demon attacks that managed to get into their headquarters, rubbing her eyes as she did so. She had just woken up, and decided that the first thing she'd do in the morning is to hear from the boy, she had been expecting him to write after all. _All this kid ever talks about is attacks and missions…Hmm…he reminds me of his Dad somehow. _Asuna grinned wryly. _But he sure takes after his Mom in hating paperwork._

She tuned in once more into what the boy was saying, seeing him snapping his fingers. _"Oh right! If you got this letter, this would mean that you know my kohai Touma-san is actually Setsuna-san." _The grinning Negi was about to say something else when Anya popped into view, a wide smile on her face. "_Weren't you surprised? I bet you had like…this expression on your face!"_ The red head made a strange, shocked expression, causing Asuna to scowl. _I did not look like that!!_

Negi tapped his chin as Anya was looking victorious, as if she had seen Asuna's scowl. "_Actually, Setsuna-san doesn't even know about this letter. I put a charm on it that scans a part of your memory, with or without Magic Cancel. So if you do have memories that reveal that Touma-san is Setsuna-san, this letter will show this part after my first message…"_

Anya butted in, looking smart. "_In normal mage terms it's a magical post note._"

"_Anya, that _was_ in normal mage terms." _Negi looked at the girl, frowning.

"_No it wasn't. And since you're talking to your _girlfriend_ who flunks English and every other subject, you might want to tone it down a little with your flowery terms!_" Asuna frowned as she saw Anya cross her arms. _They do realize that I can still see this part of the letter?! Oh when I see these two I'm gonna…_

"_Well, Asuna-san isn't like that and I can assure you that she's improving her grades…_" Negi crossed his arms in an effort to make himself taller than he already is. Asuna blushed at Negi's act of defending her, then she saw Negi's shoulders slump as he smiled uneasily. _"…more or less…"_

_Negi, you idiot! If you're trying to defend someone, at least try and stick with it! _ Asuna thought angrily as Anya stuck out her tongue. _"Dork."_

"_Clutz." _

"_Asuna-con!"_

"_Setsuna-san-stalking fangirl!" _Negi shot back, causing Asuna to smile wryly and wave her fist in the air. _Ahh…puberty, what you're doing to my friends is giving me a headache!! Damn you!! First Konoka and her damn infectious hormones, then you put me up with a Setsuna-san who has some sort of demon pheromone thingy as well as an emotional _and _mental problem, now you let me put up with two bickering preteens?! When will you stop, darn it!!_

As if sensing Asuna's distress, Nekane's sisterly voice came out of nowhere. "_Now, now you two, I'm pretty sure we don't want Asuna-san to hear your bickering instead of what you're supposed to tell her? You know, the one you were _ordered _to give her in case she finds out?" _

Negi and Anya angrily looked away from each other for a few seconds, before getting warned by Nekane once more. Both of them sighed, complying to the woman's orders as they both lost their playful expressions and replaced them with serious ones. Asuna raised an eyebrow. _What's going on?_

Negi spoke first, his tone solemn as Anya looked down. _"If so I think you've heard that Setsuna-san is undergoing Demon puberty. She was confined in the Magic World because of a controversial accident in her homeland, so she's having it a little rough." _

"_We don't know the details ourselves but we do have an idea about what happened…" _Anya looked up. _"But if we're wrong the truth can only get much worse than our deductions…"_

Negi frowned. _"I spoke to her elder sisters about this matter, and as her former teacher and friend I suggested that they send her to Mahora. There's a large chance that Setsuna-san will recover soon, so please… just in case her condition gets worse, take care of Setsuna-san for us."_

The hologram letter ended, leaving Asuna with more puzzle pieces that don't fit together. A few more minutes of thinking and being unable to come up with a rational conclusion, the orange-haired girl decided to get ready for school instead of trying to play detective. She grabbed her clothes, and then headed for the bathroom. She then opened the bathroom door.

Which revealed a half-naked Setsuna in the bathroom, obviously changing from last night.

Asuna slammed the door as quickly as possible, leaning on it as she felt her cheeks heat up.

A few seconds of silence, Asuna heard Setsuna's muffled voice. "So…um…is there any flavor you would like for breakfast?"

The orange-haired girl sighed in relief, smiling a little as she felt her blush leaving her. "Just please don't make it too out of this world."

_This is going to be a long day._

==?tahW==

"Okay…now try casting the spell again." She said as she sleepily rubbed her eye, trying once again to remember what exactly was the first name of the girl she was teaching. Most of her students call her by her last name for some reason, and she herself doesn't know why she felt such a need to remember such a minor detail

…especially when one is teaching a spell that could very well kill a person if he doesn't get out of the way.

Yue Ayase snapped back to her senses when she heard the young girl's cry, making her notice the huge spike of ice that was headed towards her at lightning speed. On reflex she had started chanting, creating a wall of fire just in time to melt the piercing tip.

Instead of sighing with relief like her student did, the blue-haired girl immediately scolded herself for not noticing such a huge magical force headed her way. Normally she would have noticed that when her opponent would be preparing the spell, but it seems she wouldn't consider herself 'normal' right now.

Ever the philosopher, the blue-haired girl heard a voice in her head, the same voice she hears whenever she's undecided on something, asking her: _Can you identify the cause? _

Yue sighed out loud, making her student wonder if she had done something wrong again.

_I _know _the cause. I just don't know how to deal with it …_

==What?==

Yue turned another page of her artifact as she read the day's news in the Magic World. There were very few articles about events that seemed like trouble, though none were as terrifying as the articles that were written during their war against Fate. She scanned one article about an attempted assassination that lead to a broken alliance, but luckily the two parties were currently at a standstill. _Come to think of it, aren't Collette, Iincho and Beatrix headed to that place for a trial assignment? I should write to them to wish them luck._

She was about to read on a new type of spell when two hands covered her eyes. "You shouldn't be reading this late."

Yue tensed up at first, but relaxed the instant she realized who would do such a thing. She smiled a little as she let go of her artifact and removed the other person's hands, making eye contact with her best friend since Middle School, Nodoka Miyazaki.

_Well it doesn't hurt to try._ "One more spell?"

"Yue, it's already 9:30 PM." The purple-haired girl pointed to the clock on the wall across, but immediately squinted when she realized that the time was wrong. "Correction. It's already 10:30 PM."

_Oh well. _Sighing to herself, Yue hesitantly closed the book. She was looking forward to looking into that spell, but she could afford to learn it a few hours later than she was hoping for.

"Good." Nodoka smiled as she headed for her bed and grabbed the set of clothes on it. "I'm going to the baths. Would you like to come with me Yue?"

The blue-haired girl thought for a moment before nodding. "You go on ahead. I'll just prepare a change of clothes."

Nodoka nodded as she exited their room, while Yue opened her drawer and grabbed a set of her clothes, and then getting her bath necessities. As she approached the door a few minutes later, she saw her other roommate in the corner of her eye.

Haruna had fallen asleep on her desk, her face resting on her open sketchbook while drawing hand was on a finished page of a draft. Yue approached the girl with a little bit of caution, knowing very well that the artist had a tendency to pretend that she was sleeping to surprise her friends. When she had indeed confirmed that the said girl was asleep, she gently pulled out the recently-drawn drafts, which Haruna had probably made a while ago. _To think she'd be this diligent with her manga. She even went ahead of us just to finish this. _

She then scanned through the scenes with dialogues (_Haruna's *cough* ecchi scenes are the type of stuff only Konoka can handle)_, recognizing a few lines that some of her friends, notably Nodoka, Asuna, Chisame and a few others, had said when Negi was still their adviser. _And I see that she still hasn't stopped basing some characters off of us. _Yue thought as she saw a character that looked like a Kazumi with short hair wearing boy's clothes and a vampire cape.

After reading, Yue nodded to herself. _Well, at least the plot's getting better._ She then placed the draft on the other side of the desk, to keep it safe just in case Haruna would drool while she slept. Walking over to their couch and grabbing the blanket, she placed it on her classmate's shoulders before making her way out of the room.

==What?==

Nodoka was surprised when she entered the baths, finding the place quiet and herself alone. Usually there would be at least three girls from each year or so, making the baths a hot spot for fun as well as gossip. _Well I guess we really did finish up late…_ She thought to herself, but sighed as she heard muffled voices from outside. _Either that or I'm just too early. _

The purple-haired girl yawned as she unbuttoned her blouse, putting it in one of the baskets in the changing room as she remembered what time it was. _ Oh well, Yue and I better finish up quick. We have class with Kuzunoha-sensei tomorrow._

Nodoka folded her clothes neatly; making sure everything was organized even though it was just laundry. After checking the rest of her belongings, the purple-haired girl then headed towards the bath entrance, grabbing her towel as she did so.

==What?==

Yue picked up the red box, quickly getting the straw and poking it through the hole._ Tomato Milk is the best beverage to drink during bath time. _

She stopped sipping for a second, sensing something not too far off. She shrugged it off after a moment, thinking it was Asuna, Yuuna or any other young mage causing the usual ruckus in the dorms.

She stopped again when she felt a sudden chill, but after observing her surroundings for a few more seconds she frowned at herself. _Calm yourself. Being cautious is one thing but being paranoid is definitely another. _

==What?==

"Yue?" Nodoka said, causing the blue-haired girl to turn. "I thought you were going to catch up with me?"

The blue-haired girl shrugged, leaving Nodoka to wonder if she had been that slow in walking to the baths. _Or maybe Yue just got lazy and decided to resort to magic. That's strange. The only time I saw her use magic in the dorms was when her wounds were still healing. Maybe she's just practicing? _

The sound of water reigned prominent for a several seconds as neither of them found anything to say, both girls staring at the other's face as if to determine what the other was thinking.

The purple-haired girl was the first to break eye contact, her face slowly heating up, knowing that Yue's gaze was still fixed on her. She smiled uneasily, clueless at what to do about the mood. "Th-those demons sure can tire a person out, huh?"

The other girl only nodded, silence surrounding once more. Nodoka wondered for a moment if she should make an excuse to get out and come back later, but that thought was immediately cut off as Yue spoke.

"…You're not going to sit?"

Unable to reply, the purple-haired girl did so, sitting beside Yue as she cleaned herself. Nodoka followed suit, so as to distract to herself from the awkwardness of the situation. _There's definitely something wrong. Usually I'd have a lot of things to talk about with Yue especially when Paru isn't around…Why am I having problems now…? Maybe--_

"Hey, Nodoka?"

"Y-yes?" Nodoka squeaked, unable to say anything else as her train of thought was cut off.

Her feelings calmed, however, on the moment she turned towards the blue-haired girl, who wore a peaceful expression. "How long has it been, since we returned from that war?"

"A year…" She mumbled automatically, tucking a wet strand of hair behind her ear. Memories of last year came back to her slowly, most of which made her smile as her companion looked like she was doing the same.

"When we came back to Mahora Academy, it really seemed to me like all of those memories were a dream." Yue looked up, as if there was a flashback playing on the ceiling. "I knew they happened to me…but it felt as though I've never experienced them at all."

"Yue…?" The purple-haired girl looked at her best friend, unsure of what the other girl was trying to say.

Ignoring Nodoka's call, the blue-haired mage continued. "If you hadn't stayed by my side and helped me adjust to this life, I would probably have thought all this was some sort of deception and run away." She turned, looking at the purple-haired girl directly in the eyes as she smiled. "Thank you, Nodoka."

"N-no problem." Was the other girl's immediate reply, before noticing how close their faces actually were. Nodoka backed away as she felt herself blush, her heart beating faster within each passing second as her eyes landed on everything except on the girl in front of her. _N-now it's getting more awkward…I have to think of something to make this seem…less…less…less calm! _

Her eyes landed on the water, sparking her mind into action. "Want to go in together, Yue?"

Yue nodded, and the two stood up, heading for the pool of warm water. Nodoka, still uncomfortable, walked faster, making sure she was ahead by a small distance, as well as making sure that she couldn't see Yue.

Meaning she did not see the blue-haired mage slip on a stray bar of soap, causing her to land on Nodoka, and straddling her effectively.

The purple-haired girl grew redder as she felt Yue's body on hers. _And to think both of us are naked…this is getting even more embarrassing…_

"Nodoka…" She opened her eyes and saw that the other girl was as red as she was, and there was something in her voice that seemed suspicious.

"…hm?" was her answer, thinking that there would be some sort of explanation as to why Yue hadn't gotten off of her by now.

"I--"

"Nodoka!!"

The purple-haired girl turned to the entrance, eyes widening as she saw the newcomer.

_What the…_

==What?==

It didn't take a millisecond for the Yue to react, immediately concentrating magic in her right hand as she teleported to the other blue-haired mage who was on top of her best friend. The punch landed squarely on the cheek, sending the other Yue flying to the opposite end of the baths.

"Wh-what's going on?" Nodoka said, standing up as she looked at the Yue on her right, and the other Yue on her far left.

The blue-haired girl on her right flexed her hand, her glare never leaving her double who was standing up. "No doubt about it. It's a sketch." _Haruna must've been working on this. _

"Sketch?" Nodoka said as she approached the Yue closer to her, who she assumed was the real one. "Paru?"

"Exactly. Excellent work as always Yue-san." The other Yue nodded, her feet starting to fade away. "DarkNodoka had been warning me about how you can detect us that easily, but I didn't expect you'd be this good. My Master will be ecstatic once she finds out about this little incident!"

The other two said nothing, Nodoka being as confused as she was and Yue too busy glaring at the fading sketch to say anything. There was an extremely uncomfortable silence after DarkYue faded away, letting Nodoka think about what just happened. _So if the Yue I talked to earlier was a fake…does that mean none of those words were true? _Nodoka felt a pang in her chest as she realized that, feeling a little disappointed.

"A-Actually, they were." Yue scratched her cheek, which was turning a little red. She looked away from the other girl and let her eyes wander. "What she said, I mean."

"I-I see…" Nodoka nodded in agreement and then tilted her head, wondering how the other girl knew what she was thinking about.

"A-Ah!" Yue then closed her eyes, as though she was chanting mentally. "S-sorry. I still had the omniscient charm activated…"

Nodoka smiled after a few seconds, ruffling Yue's hair as she did. "Silly Yue."

The blue-haired girl remained silent, turning red from embarrassment as well as from something else.

_Well, that only happens whenever I'm around you…for some reason._

==?tahW==

The little girl squeaked a "S-sensei…?", snapping Yue back to attention and making the blue-haired mage realize that she had just zoned out for a full five minutes. She groaned lightly, rubbing her temples as she closed her eyes. "Sorry…I just haven't been myself lately."

And with that, she dismissed the early morning session, telling her student to come back after school with the rest of the apprentices. The younger took two steps back and bowed, before grabbing her bag and running off to Mahora Elementary.

Yue smiled as she heard the girl say another "Thank you!" before she disappeared, but not before she almost tripped because of an unseen object. The blue-haired mage chuckled as she shook her head. "Kids these days…"

Hearing heavy footsteps, she turned to see the kendo club finishing their morning practice, its long-time members were hardly tired while the newcomers were drenched with sweat.

"Oi!! Ayase!! Wanna go for a spar before class?!" The blue-haired mage then saw Kotaro Inugami with both of his arms in the air, waving them frantically as he grinned. "Loser buys drinks!!"

Yue smirked. "You're on!"

_Well, I'm not saying we aren't kids, since we still are…in some aspects._

==?tahW==

Asuna yawned, barely tuning it to what the teacher was talking about. Her mismatched eyes shifted from the woman in front to the window, the blue sky and barely deserted campus grounds making her feel at peace. The sight reminded her of the Magic World somehow, making her remember the unearthly wonders she had encountered the previous year. _To think that we were fighting in a full-fledged magical war two summers ago…Kind of makes you think that this sort of peace can never exist for someone who survived that war…_

She shuddered as memories of the war coursed through her, her mind flashing with images that she could never forget no matter how hard she tried to.

_Negi falling to his knees with a huge gash on his back, firing another batch of magical arrows as he faced off with Fate_

_Kazumi shielding Sayo's voodoo doll from a petrification spell, body covered in a mixture of dirt and blood as her mind struggled to stay conscious…The ghost beside her tearing up as she was unable to do anything to help_

_Makie and Akira holding back Yuuna as Ako tried to heal her, with the brown-haired girl trying to break free…wanting to even the score with the enemy mages for degrading her comrades_

_Yue matching her opponent's charms word for word, blocking hit after hit as she tried to damage the other mage…but was eventually bombarded with spells as she took in all the damage from the trap the enemy had readied for all of them _

_And Setsuna…Setsuna who had managed to keep Tsukuyomi's blows away from her classmates but towards herself. Setsuna who had saved her more than thrice that day… The last warrior standing… The one who outlasted even Negi in terms of endurance… The one_

"Asuna?"

The orange-haired girl blinked, seeing Yue, Nodoka and Haruna in front of her. The purple-haired girl tilted her head. "Are you okay?"

"Hm?" Asuna's eyebrows went up, thinking that everything was normal before noticing their last morning class had ended. _Usually I'd be the first one out of here…_ "Ah. Yeah."

"Well, we've got roughly an hour before gym class starts so we better start eating lunch…" Haruna stretched, one hand holding a textbook with a few papers tucked inside it.

Asuna nodded, grinning a little as she stood up and grabbed her bag. _Finally, something that doesn't need thinking!_

Haruna seemed to notice her grin, causing the other girl to smile slyly. "What's the matter Asuna? Excited about gym?"

"And so what if I am?" The orange-haired girl said in a curious tone. _Of course I am! Why the heck wouldn't I be excited?_ She frowned a bit, noticing the girl's now more sinister expression

and the bruise on her cheek.

"Wait…why do you have a bruise on your cheek?" Asuna questioned as she brought her face closer so she could get a better look at it, causing her to be too focused on the bruise to see Haruna's smirk, Nodoka's light blush and Yue's glare.

"Oh, it's…nothing." The artist said lightly, eyes never leaving the other two girls as blushes rose from both of them. _Hehe…Remind me to reward DarkYue for her impromptu performance last night. _"Just an accident. Like…hmm…like a slipping on a bar of soap maybe?"

Nodoka turned even redder, while Yue struggled to retain her shade of pink as she glared daggers at her other friend. "Yes. But if you're not _careful with your actions _Haruna you might end up with something _more than_ a bruise."

"Is that a threat?" Haruna's expression grew more mischievous, eyes glinting with interest.

Meanwhile, Asuna was oblivious to the tension among the trio, still figuring out how an artist would get such a bruise. _I was sure she headed straight for the dorms after patrols…Don't tell me she got in a fist fight? …Nah! Maybe her sketches got in a fist fight? But…doesn't she get like…only five percent of the damage? Then that'd mean the blow would have to be--_ Asuna's thought process was cut off as her gaze drifted downwards, catching a glimpse of a new copy of their schedule.

_Physical Education_

_Academy Grounds/Gym_

_Instructor: Sakurai Touma_

It took the girl two seconds to process what she had seen, letting out a small "…eh?" which caught Haruna and Yue's attention.

The artist followed Asuna's gaze, her expression changing to a wry smile. "Don't tell me you didn't know that Touma-kun's taking over gym class?"

Asuna scratched her cheek. "W-well I wasn't actually listening yesterday…" _Gah, after that little incident this morning I forgot to ask Setsuna-san what class she would be teaching!_

"Erm…If we don't eat now then we'll either be late to class or get appendicitis during the exercise." Nodoka spoke up, finally calm enough to contribute in the conversation. Asuna and Yue nodded almost immediately, the former apparently not wanting to disappoint Touma (_Setsuna-san_) especially in the first meeting while the latter wanted to get out of this semi-argument, despite having urges to show the artist who is better at being a smart-aleck. Haruna considered it for a moment, before nodding eventually.

The four girls made their way out of the classroom, Asuna putting her hands behind her head, her now swinging bag lightly hitting her back.

_Setsuna-san as a teacher…_She looked up, picturing the scene. _Let's see… one half-demon teacher disguised as a boy, more than twenty teenage girls who are more or less interested in messing with the boy, and sweat._

The orange-haired girl smiled wryly. _This is probably going to be worse than that dodge ball game we had last year, huh?_

**Restart**

**Chapter 5: **What?

**End**

Note: Yeah…I'm one of those people who tend to get truckloads of writer's block, so sorry for the delay. I was totally stuck on one part but I figured I can cut it here for more plotting. It was originally intended as a graduation gift chapter after I 'confess' to a friend about this. Sorry it's a 'little' late 'Rah'. ^^

Which reminds me, there's hardly any Setsuna in this chapter, but there will be more of her on the next. As an apology for postponing this too much, please enjoy this –deleted- part

==Omake: Anya's Post Note==

It was less than an hour before her first class when Asuna was grabbing the last of the things she would need for the day, quickly cramming them in her bag. The room being too silent for comfort because Setsuna had gone ahead of her, Asuna made sure everything was as it should be, before noticing that Negi's letter was still on the desk; she must have forgotten to put it back in her drawer. She quickly headed towards the desk, picking up the letter with one hand and pulling out the drawer with the other.

The letter glowed as if it was going to play its message again, and Asuna raised an eyebrow when she saw a fidgety Anya instead of a Negi rubbing the back of his head. _What's with her?_

The flustered hologram then started to speak. _"Um…Yeah. I err…just wanted to try another one of those magical post note…things." _

The orange-haired girl mentally nodded, growing suspicious as Anya turned even redder than she was already as she waited for the younger girl's next sentence.

"_So um…my condition is…if you have memories of seeing Setsuna-san …undressed…"_ Anya scratched her cheek, which was too red to look healthy. _"…so you've seen her right?"_

Asuna turned bright red almost immediately as she recalled images of earlier, though she was thankful that no one was around at that time, especially the half-demon in question. _This girl…don't tell me she really is--_

"_I know this is going too far but…I'm really curious and it's been bugging me for a long time now…Is she…Is Setsuna-san…a guy or a girl when she's um…disguised as Touma? Y-you know…? Down there…"_

The currently gaping orange-haired girl was now the same shade as, if not redder than, Anya's blush, her brain feeding her more vivid images now as her memory and imagination worked together to make her situation worse.

"_Anyaaa~ Have you seen my letter recorder? Come to think of it, I haven't seen the letter we made earlier--" _Negi's voice rang through the room as neither Asuna nor the red-haired hologram said a word, and the latter immediately tensed up upon hearing the boy.

"_Oh, there it is--wait, what are you doing?_"

"_Ahh! Baka Negi!! It's not here!!"_

"_But I can see it righ--"_

"_Anya Flaming Kick!!!!"_

"_Not agai--"_

Asuna was still immobile minutes after the post note ended, and when she regained her senses she quickly grabbed the letter, opened the desk drawer and stuffed the letter in, locking it and hiding the key in a place she could never touch: Konoka's stack of weird magazines.

Sighing as she let herself calm down, Asuna frowned as she rubbed her temples. _Damn it, if this keeps up, _I'll _be the one who'll get the mental and emotional breakdown!!_


End file.
